274 Stone, Gotcric Names of North American Oivls. \ . |] 



Otiis^ though I have not personally been able to consult this 

 edition. 



The recognition of this early use of Otus fixes the name beyond 

 question upon the Screech Owls and cancels the action of Savigny 

 who, in 1809, established the genus Scops for these birds. It also- 

 avoids the controversy as to whether the use of Scopus Briss., 1760, 

 for the Umbrette invalidates Scops of Savigny, a question upon 

 which American and British authors have long been at variance. 



With the Screech Owls asio and scops thus removed from the 

 genus Asio of Brisson we have left only the species bubo and otus. 



In 181 5 Rafinesque (Analyse, p. 69) used the name Bubotus, 

 but Dr. Richmond, who has examined a copy of this rare work in 

 the Library of Congress, informs me that the name is "merely a 

 new name or emendation of Bubo Dume'ril," and consequently falls 

 with that. 



In 1832 Wagler (Isis, p. 1221) proposed Nyctalops for his new 

 species N. stygius. This bird is now regarded as congeneric with 

 ^^ Asio otus'''' (Linn.) Briss., and removing the latter to the genus 

 Nyctalops we have left as the type of Asio, Strix bubo Linn. 



It must not be thought that the Great Horned Owls were not 

 provided with generic names, other than Bubo Dumeril, which we 

 have shown to be untenable, for we find three proposed in 1837, 

 and others later. The former are 



Ascalcip/iui GeoftV., Echo du Monde Savant, III, p. 4. (type A. savig-nit 



(jeotfr. = Bubo ascalaphus Savign.). 

 Heliaptcx Swains., Class. Birds, II, p. 217 (type 5". arctica Swains. = Buba 



subarctica Hoy). 

 Urrua Ilodgs., Jour. As. Soc. Bengal, VI, p. 372 (type V. cavcaria 



IIodgs.= Otus bengalcnsis Frankl.). 



If my argument is correct, and Strix bubo is by elimination the 

 type of Asio Brisson, we shall not have to consider these names 

 at all, but I give them in order to complete the record. Moreover, 

 they will probably not have to be considered in any case, since 

 Swainson in the same year (1837) restricted Asio Brisson to the 

 species bubo and virginianus, bringing us to the same point that I 

 have reached by elimination. 



If my views are adopted no change will be required in the 

 genera of any of the ' earless ' owls, while our ' eared ' species 

 will stand as follows : 



