OF ORNITHOLOGY 85 



families of our American Owls, but treat only with generic 



differences. 



Professor Baird's admirable classifications, however, are not 

 old, and are still authority. As we have adopted one part of 

 them we cannot do better than adopt the remainder, for the 

 Owls at least. We shall quote the parts we borrow. 



Sub-family a " BUBONIN^ Horned Owls 



Head large, with erectile and prominent ear-tufts. Eyes 

 large ; facial disc not complete above the eyes and bill ; legs^ 

 feet, and claws usually very strong." 



Genera Bubo, The Horned Owls (4 species). 



Scops, The Little Screech Owls (8 species). 



Asio, The Eared Owls (2 species). 

 The present Asia stands for the recent Otus and Brachjoius, while both 

 of these latter generic names formerly received the generic equivalent of 

 Sirix. Neither of the three latter names seem to be used now either as a 

 SUB-GEXUS or in the sense of our present genus Strix. 



Sub-family d " SYRNIN^ Gray Owls 



Head large, with very small and concealed ear-tufts, or en- 

 tirely without. Facial disc nearly perfect ; eyes small for the 

 family of Owls ; wings rather short, or not so long as in the 

 preceding ; tarsi and toes generally fully feathered." 



There are both large and small Owls here as in (a). 



Genera Strix, (5 species). 



Nyctale, (2 species). 

 It is now pretty generally conceded that at present the name Strix ap- 

 pears appropriate as the genus for the five species which formerly went by 

 other generic names. Some of these are still in good standing as generic, 

 but whether they could any of them be called even suft-generic, or should 

 simply remain a.s generic equivalents = synonyms, is a matter very much 

 of individual opinion. We should doubt very much the propriety of using 

 any of them in a su6-generic sense. Professor Baird used the name Sur- 

 nium for both the Great Gray and the Barred Owls; Professor Ridge- 

 way used Strix for the Barred Owl and its varieties only. He used Ulula 

 for the Great Gray Owl and its varieties. 



