VULTURID^E. 91 



Genus ATHENE, Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 549. 



Athene = 'AQfivr), the goddess of wisdom, to whom the Owl was held sacred. 



Athene noctua. LITTLE OWL. 



Strix noctua, Scopoli, Ann. I. Hist.-Nat. p. 22 (1769). 

 Strix noctua, Naum. i. p. 493. 

 Syrnia psilodactyla, Macg. iii. p. 417. 

 Noctua nudipes, Hewitson, p. 67. 

 Athene noctua, Gray, p. 21 ; Gould, i. pi. 37 ; Harting, p. 91 ; 



Dresser, v. p. 357. 



Noctua passerina, Yarr. ed. 2, i. p. 149; id. ed. 3, i. p. 158. 

 Carine noctua, Newton, i. p. 178. 

 The Little Owl, Yarr. ed. 1, i. p. 142. 



Noctua = a night Owl, in classical Latin ; from nox = night. 



An inhabitant of Southern and Central Europe and Asia 

 Minor ; a scarce occasional visitant to England ; not yet met 

 with in Scotland or Ireland. 



Order ACCIPITRES. 

 Family VULTURID^E. 



Genus GYPS, Savigny, Syst. Ois. de PEgypte, p. 8 (1810). 



Gyps = yity, a Vulture in classical Greek ; perhaps an Egyptian word. 



Gyps fillvus. GEIPFON VULTUEE. 

 Vultur fulvus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 249 (1788). 



Vultur fulvus, Naum. i. p. 162 ; Hewitson, p. 3 ; Yarr. ed. 2, 



i. p. 1 ; id. ed. 3, i. p. 1. 

 Gyps fulvus, Gray, p. 2 ; Newton, i. p. 1 ; Harting, p. 83 ; 



Dresser, v. p. 373. 



Fulvus = tawny. 



Inhabits Southern Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia, 

 as far west as Turkestan. Once obtained in Ireland. 



