ASIO. 5 



et digitis plumosis cervinis. Long, tota circa 14*0, alse 11-5, eaudae 6-0, tarsi 1*6. (Descr. maris ex Santa 

 Izabel, Chihualiua, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) 



Hah. NoETH America, temperate districts ^ ^^ — Mexico, San Diego, Sonora [BoUnette ^), 

 Santa Izabel and Carretas in Chihuahua ( W. Lloyd), Valley of Mexico (Sumichrast *, 

 Herrera"^), Mexicalcingo [Ferrari-Perez), Orizaba (Sumichrast '^). 



The American Long-eared Owl represents in North America Asio otus of the 

 "temperate regions of the Old World, the two birds being much alike. They may 

 readily be distinguished by the distinct stripes of the upper plumage of A. otus in 

 contrast with the more irregular mottling of the same part in A. wilsonianus. The 

 dark shafts of the feathers on the under surface of the latter bird are much narrower 

 than those of the former. 



A. wilsonianus is a well-known bird in all parts of the United States, breeding 

 wherever it is found, laying from three to seven white eggs in the deserted nests of 

 •Crows, Magpies, Herons, or other nests of suflScient size. In Mexico its range is chiefly 

 confined to the northern and central portions of the country. Two specimens sent us 

 by Mr. William Lloyd from Chihuahua were obtained one in January and one in 

 February. The species was also met with by Mr. Robinette when he was with the 

 Lumholtz Expedition in 1890-92. Of more southern records we have but few; both 

 Sumichrast * and Herrera ^ record its occurrence in the Valley of Mexico, and the former 

 naturalist found it near Orizaba, but we have seen no specimens from either district. 

 Neither Salle nor Boucard or any of our collectors appear to have met with this Owl. 



The life-history of the American Long-eared Owl, as this bird is called in North 

 America, has been fully given by Capt. Bendire ^ and Dr. Fisher ^o, and the latter 

 author has drawn up statistics showing the nature of the food consumed by this Owl. 

 From this it appears that mice and a few other mammals form by far the largest 

 proportion of its diet ; a few birds are eaten and occasionally insects. 



2. Asio clamator. 



? Strix mexicanus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 288 ? ^ 



Bubo clamator, Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept. i. p. 52^ t. 20 



Asio clamator, Berl. & Stolzm. P. Z. S. 1892, p. 387 '. 



Otus mexicanus, Pelz. Orn. Bras. p. 10 *. 



Bubo mexicanus, Ridgw. in Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. Birds, iii. p. 61 \ 



Asio mexicanus, Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. ii. p. 231 °. 



Supra cervinus, fuseo irroratus, plumis singulis late fuscis : subtus eervinus, plumis omnibus stria rbaohidali 

 nigricante nullo modo transfasciatis ; facie tota albida nigro circumcincta, dimidio plumarum tenninali 

 late fusco transfaseiato ; cauda cervina, fusco transfasciata. Long, tota circa 14'0, alse 9'3, eaudae 5*3, 

 tarsi 2"1. (Descr. exempl. ex Paraiso, Panama, ilus. nostr.) 



Hob. Panama (ArcS, in Mus. Brit.^), Paraiso Station [A. Hughes). — South America 

 generally ^ ; Peru ^. 



This Owl has usually passed under Gmelin's name Strix mexicanus, which was 



