84 Classification of Birds. 



country, (St.JlammeaJ ; in it he also places, and we think very pro- 

 perly, our long and short-eared owls (Otus vulgaris, and Ot. bra- 

 chyotos), considering them rasorial types. A third form is that oi Strix 

 Tengmalmi : to this group he gives the name of Scotophilus. A 

 fourth is represented by the huge Slrix cinerea of the northern 

 zoology, for which he proposes the generic or subgeneric name of 

 Scotiaptex. The fifth, which ought to represent the raptorial type, 

 is not indicated: why should not the St. stridula or some of its nearly 

 allied congeners supply the deficiency ? 



The 2d division, or as he terms it genus, Asio, contains, 1st, the 

 true horned-owls, of which the great European horned-owl, and the 

 Virginian species may be considered representations. A second form 

 is that of Bubo arcticus of the northern zoology, now made Heliap- 

 iex arclicus, and a third he thinks is represented by the Scops Owls. 

 As the only type of the first aberrant group, stands the great white 

 owl or genus Nyctea, distinguished by its very small ears, and with- 

 out any ruff or series of stiff feathers encircling the head, the eye- 

 brows also perfect like those of the falcons, and its habits are diur- 

 nal. His genus Nyctipetes, formed of the small South American 

 owls, which possess no marginal ruff, with small ears destitute of an 

 operculum, and which are perfectly separated from the small Euro- 

 pean owls, or his genus Scotophilus, form a fourth group ; and the 

 fifth is composed of the hawk-owls or genus Surtiia of Dumeril, pos- 

 sessing a small head, without a facial disk, a long cuneated tail, and 

 diurnal habits. Such is his outline of the primary groups of this 

 hitherto confused, and, we may add, neglected family of the order, 

 and so far as we can judge from the forms we have been able to con- 

 sult, they appear founded on the true affinities of the species. It 

 will be seen that he has rejected some of the modern genera, as 

 Noctua, Ulula, &c. at the same time he has found it necessary to 

 institute others, such as Scotiaptex, Scotophilus, Helioptex, and 

 Nyctipetes. Much, however, remains to be done to fill up the de- 

 tails of the various groups, which can only be effected by a strict 

 analysis of the species, a matter not easily accomplished, as there are 

 few collections which contain a sufficient number of forms belonging 

 to this family, wherewith to institute the necessary comparison and 

 examination. 



The concluding chapter enters upon the consideration of the In- 

 sessorial order; but as the exposition only extends to one of its pri- 

 mary divisions, viz. the Dentirostral tribe, we shall merely observe, 

 that he traces the whole of its analogies with the other tribes and 

 " families of the order, in a manner that intimates a thorough acquain- 



