4 ASIONTDJi:. 



rest Gymnasio is purely Antillean. The remaining ten are all well represented. Of 

 these Ado, Syrnium, Bubo, Scops, Speotyto, and Glaucidium are common to both 

 northern and southern continents as well as the intermediate region, and all of them, 

 except Speotyto, have a wide range in the Old World. Micropallas belongs to the 

 border States both of the north and of Mexico, and Nyctala is a northern form, 

 occurring within our limits. The remaining two, Lophostrix and Ciccala, occur also 

 in South America, on which continent no peculiar genus is found. 



The number of species of Asionidae was computed in 1875 by Dr. Sharpe at 184, 

 but since then the existence of others has been ascertained, so that the total now will 

 not be far short of 220. Of these thirty-two are found within our limits, 



Aures operculo prceditce. 

 Cornuti. 



ASIO. 



Asio, Brisson, Orn. i. p. 28 (1760) ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. ii. p. 225. 

 Otus, Cut. Le9. Anat. Comp. t. ii. 

 Nyctalops, Wagl. Ms, 1832, p. 1221. 

 Brachyotus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1837, p. 10. 



Of the eight or nine species of Asio, four are found within our limits. Of these 

 A. wilsonianus, a northern bird not strongly defined from the Old World A. otus, 

 just enters Mexico ; A. accipitrinus is almost worldwide, and is found throughout 

 America both north and south. The other two species, A. stygius and A. clamator, 

 are both South-American species, the former not passing the limits of Mexico, and the 

 latter not found beyond the State of Panama. 



The very large ear-opening overhung by a sort of operculum distinguishes Asio, 

 Syrnium, and Nyctala from the rest of the Owls of this subfamily, and the feathery 

 ear-tufts separate Asio from the other two. 



1. Asio wilsonianus. 



Strix otus, WUs. Am. Orn. vi. p. 73, t. 51. f. 3 (nee Linn.) \ 



Otus americanus, Steph. in Shaw's Gen. Zool. xiii. pt. 2, p. 57 '. 



Asio americanus, Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. ii. p. 229 ' ; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 237 *. 



Otus wilsonianus, Less. Traite d'Om. p. 110'. 



Asio wilsonianus, A. O. U. Check-list N. Am. Birds, ed. 2, p. 146 ° ; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. 

 pp. 178, 321"; Allen, BuU. Am. Mus. N. H. v. p. 34' ; Bendire, Life Hist. N. Am. Birds, 

 i. p. 328, t. 12. £.2°; Fisher, Bull. U. S. Dep. Agr. no. 9, p. 140, t. 20". 



Otus vulgaris, var. wilsonianus, Ridgw. in Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. Birds, iii. p. 18 ". 



Sapra fusco-nigricans, cervino-albido undique irroratus : subtus cervino-albidus, plumis singulis rhacHdibus 

 anguste et fasciis duabus aut tribus fuscis notatis; loris et mento albis, genis et regione postoeulari 

 fulvis ; aJis cervinis fusco late fasciatis, tectricibus subalaribus majoribus cervinis fuseo tenninatis ; tarsis 



