THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 243 



The Florida and Hispaniolan burrowing owls recently have been 

 considered a species apart from cunicularia which, divided into a 

 number of forms, ranges from western North America south to 

 Patagonia, but in our opinion they have gone such a little wa}' on 

 the road to differentiation that the line of demarcation is not sharp 

 cut so that we consider these two as subspecies of the continental 

 group. Some South American specimens of cunicularia have the 

 under wing coverts distinctly spotted and an occasional specimen of 

 troglodytes has them nearly immaculate. Also occasional speci- 

 mens of the cunicularia group are as heavily barred below as the 

 floridana aggregation. The feathering of the tarsi is less heavy in 

 foridana and troglodytes, but the difference here is slight. 



After some search in literature it appears that the subspecific name 

 dominicensis for the burrowing owl here discussed must be changed. 

 Speotyto dominicensis Cory has been cited from the Bulletin of 

 the Nuttall Ornithological Club, 1881, p. 154, but is here a nomen 

 nudum as there is no description, the statement being merely " 47. 

 Speotyto cunicularia dominicensis (Mol.) Baird. — Resident and very 

 abundant in the low scrub bordering the large lakes of the interior." 

 The reference to Baird is not certain. In his Birds of Haiti and 

 San Domingo (1885, p. 118), Cory calls this bird Speotyto cunicu- 

 laria, but in the Auk for 1886 (p. 471) gives it as Speotyto domini- 

 censis Cory, the name dating from this point, being accompanied by 

 a description. However, there is a previous Athene dominicensis of 

 Bonaparte 88 which is preoccupied by Athene dominicensis 89 Gray. 

 The latter refers to Speotyto c. cunicularia, since it is based on Azara 

 and must be, therefore, the bird of southern South America. As 

 there is no other name available it becomes necessary to give the 

 burrowing owl of Hispaniola a new designation. It may be known 

 as Speotyto cunicularia troglodytes. 



Following are measurements of our series; Males, 14 specimens, 

 wing 152.0-164.5 (158.7), tail 69.0-81.7 (73.3), culmen from cere 

 13.7-16.4 (14.9), tarsus 42.3-46.6 (44.3) mm. 



Females, 12 specimens, wing 150.0-163.0 (156.8), tail 63.3-74.0 

 (69.5), culmen from cere 13.8-15.3 (14.5), tarsus 40.0-44.8 (43.1) mm. 



The burrowing owl is earthy brown above spotted and streaked 

 with white and buffy white, and whitish or buffy below barred 

 irregularly with earthy brown, with a broad white band across the 

 upper breast and the throat white. The legs are feathered, the 

 feathering becoming hairlike at the lower end of the tarsus and on the 

 toes. The bird ranges from 210 to 230 mm. long, and is distinguished 

 easily from any other owl of this area by small size and smooth, 

 rounded head, without the projecting tufts of feathers called ears. 



*»Consp. Av., vol. 1, 1850, p. 38. ("Ex Antill.") 

 "Gen. Birds, vol. 1, 1845, p. 35. 



