470 OBERHOLSER, Notes on N. A. Birds. III. Laue 
which latter Dr. C. W. Richmond had shown to be preoccupied.! 
In view of this recent action of Mr. Ridgway’s, the writer has taken 
pains to go over the matter again; and the result of this investiga- 
tion seems fully to substantiate Mr. Brewster’s position. The 
name Strix wapacuthu Gmelin was based on the “wapacuthu owl” 
of Pennant,” hence the identification of his description must de- 
termine the identity of Gmelin’s name. While Pennant’s descrip- 
tion superficially suggests the Arctic form of Bubo virginianus, a 
careful reading shows that the bird described must be the Snowy 
Owl, Nyctea nyctea. In addition to other details, including the fact 
that Pennant’s bird is specifically said to be without ears, the state- 
ments that the bill is glossy black, and that the “space between 
the eyes, cheeks, and throat” is “white; the ends of the feathers 
on the head black,” clearly show that the description could not 
apply to any form of Bubo virginianus, but must refer to Nyctea 
nyctea. In view of this, the proper name for the Arctic Great 
Horned Owl should remain Bubo virginianus subarcticus Hoy. 
1 Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XV, 1902, p. 86. 
2 Arctic Zool., II, 1785, p. 231. 
