"^"igos^^l Allen, Strix vs. Aluco. 289 



not published till 1766 (10th cd. Syst. Nat., p. 133). Therefore 

 Sfriv flavimea cannot be the type of Strix, it being not one of the 

 originally included species. For the few who still take 1766 as the 

 date of the beginning of zoological nomenclature this is no objection; 

 and it is probably due to the former wide acceptance of this date as 

 the starting point that the recognition of Stri.v flammea as the type 

 of Strix has become so ingrained in ornithological literature. 



But there is another way in which Strix fammea has been con- 

 strued as the type of Strix, namely, by taking Strix aluco Linn., 

 1758, as an earlier name for Strix flammea Linn., 1766, as has been 

 done in the 'A. O. U. Check-List of North American Birds,' from 

 the first edition in 1886 to date,^ and which determination of Strix 

 aluco I followed in my recent papers on the types of North American 

 genera of birds, without looking up the matter for myself. Dr. 

 Stejeneger, however, having recently called my attention (in con- 

 versation) to this point, I have been led to go carefully into the 

 matter, with the results here detailed. While they agree perfectly 

 with the conclusions reached by Newton and Coues, they are based 

 primarily on different grounds, as the foregoing statements show; 

 at least as regards Dr. Coues, who assumed Strix aluco Linn., 1758, 

 to be the same as Strix flavimea Linn. 1766, and as a different spe- 

 cies from Strix aluco Linn. 1766. 



Strix aluco Linn., 1758, is a composite species, including both 

 the Barn Owl and the Wood Owl or Tawny Owl of Europe. 

 His first reference under Strix aluco is to Faun. Suec, 1746 ed., p. 

 17, No. 48, which is the Tawny Owl pure and simple, as shown 

 by the quite full description there given, not one of the charac- 

 ters applying to the Barn Owl, but each unmistakably to the 

 Tawny Owl, and where also all the citations of other authors there 

 given relate to it. This is also the basis of Strix aluco lyinn., 17()6, 

 which everybody admits is the Tawny Owl. At 1758, however, 

 Linnseus gave references under Strix aluco to Wllloughby's, Ray's, 

 and Albin's unmistakable descriptions and figures of the Barn 

 Owl. Those who have identified Strix aluco Linn., 1758 with the 



1 This was also done by Coups in 1S84 (Key, 4th ed.) and in 1900 (Auk. 1900, p. 66), 

 at which later date he says: ".S. aluco Linn. [S. N., I, 10th ed., 1758], p. 93, sp. No. 

 6, is the Barn Owl, as shown by tlie references." 



2 Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., XXIII, 1907, p. 333; ibid., XXIV, 1908, p. 39. 



