AVES STRIGIDvE. 673 



right at me, coming within a foot of my head. It then perched on the 

 dead branch of a tree, about a couple of yards off, and scolded at me. As 

 I was without firearms wherewith to secure the prize, I threw some pieces 

 of stick at it, when it made a second swoop at me, again alighting on a 

 neighbouring tree and scolding fiercely. This manoeuvre was repeated 

 several times until I was fairly clear of the wood." (This was at Sandy 

 Point, December 24, 1867.) 



O. V. Aplin (Ibis, p. 195, 1894), states that it is "fairly common on the 

 Rio Negro, and often seen there poised over the monte, its ringing note 

 (like that of our kestril, but weaker and shriller) attracting attention at 

 once. I also used to see it in the camp there, sitting on fence-posts or an 

 ant-hill on the look-out for large insects. On the I3th December I shot 

 a pair in worn dress on a dead tree, rotten and broken off, and probably 

 hollow at the top, in which I believe they were breeding. About Sta. 

 Elena it was rare. One was reported one morning by the house-peon 

 hovering over a hedge of cactus, etc., the resort of small birds, near where 

 the fowls were fed ; he called it the Gavildn and imitated its kestril wing- 

 beating and hovering. But the only one I secured at that camp was an 

 adult female over its moult on the 221! April. On the i5th February I 

 saw a pair at Las Coronas." 



Order STRIGIFORMES. 



SMges, Sharpe, Classif. Bds. p. 79 (1891); Pycraft, Tr. Linn. Soc. 2d ser. 

 Zool. vii. pt 6, pp. 223-275, pis. 24-29 (1898); Sharpe, Hand-List 

 Bds. i. p. 280(1899). 



Family 



Genus ASIO Brisson. 



Type. 



Asio, Briss. Orn. i. p. 28 (1766); Sharpe Cat Bds. Brit. 



Mus. ii. p. 225 (1875); Sharpe, Hand-list Bds. 



i. p. 280 (1899) .......... A. otus. 



Of us, Cuvier, Lemons Anat Comp. tabl. ii. (1799). A. otus. 



Nyctahps, Wagler, Isis, 1832, p. 1221 . . . . A. stygius. 



Brac/tyotus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1837, p. 10 . . . ^4. galapagensis. 



Pseudoscops, Kaup, Isis, 1848, p. 769 . . ... A. grammicus. 



