712 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS : ZOOLOGY. 



The birds breed throughout their range in December and January and 

 appear to be resident where they occur. 



E. W. White (P. Z. S., 1883, p. 41) records two specimens as follows: 



"Male. Cosquin, Cordova, Arg. Rep., June 23, 1882. 



"Female. Cosquin, Cordova, Arg. Rep., July 27, 1882. 



"Iris yellow. 



"It causes the naturalists much amusement to watch the habits of this 

 pretty owl, that, perched perfectly motionless on a branch, utters such a 

 sirenic cry as to attract little birds in great numbers. They are observed 

 to cluster round it, all the while fluttering and in great excitement, 

 charmed by some fascination. After waiting a while, the owl suddenly 

 pounces upon the nearest for its victim. The natives call it ' el rey de los 

 pajaritos' (the king of the little birds)." 



Family TYTONID.E. 

 Genus TYTO Billberg. 



Type. 



Strix, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. ii, p. 290 (1875); 



Sharpe, Hand-list Bds. i. p. 300 (1899) (nee. 



Linn.) S. alba. 



Aluco, Fleming, Phil. Zool. ii. p. 236 (1828) . . . S. alba. 



Tyto, Billberg, Syn. Faunae Scand. I. ii, tab. A (1828) S. alba. 



Hybris, Nitzsch, Pteryl. p. 100 (1840) S.flammea. 



Stridula, Selys-Longch. Faun. Beige, p. 60 (1842) . S. alba. 



Eustrinx, Webb. & Berth. Orn. Canar. p. 8 (1844) . S. alba. 



Megastrix, Kaup, Isis, 1848, p. 769 S. tenebricosa. 



Glaux, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xix. p. 513 (1850) ... 5. Candida. 



Scelostrix, Kaup, Contr. Orn. 1852, p. 119 . . . S. Candida. 



Dactylostrix, Kaup, Contr. Orn. 1852, p. 119 . . S. novce hollandice. 



Glyphidiura, Reich. Syst. Nat. pi. xcii, fig. 2 . . S. capensis. 



Cf. Sharpe, Ibis, 1875, p. 324. 



Geographical Range. The whole world except the extreme north and 

 south land areas ; absent from New Zealand and certain of the islands of 

 the Malayan sub-region and Oceania. 



TYTO PERLATA (Licht.). 



The common Barn Owl or White Owl, Albin, Nat. Hist. B. II. p. ii, pi. 

 xi (1738). 



