■0 ASIONID^. 



founded upon the "Tecolotl" of Hernandez, a Mexican bird. But, as Count von 

 Berlepsch and Herr Stolzraann^ have pointed out, the description of Hernandez is 

 altogether insufficient for recognition, and perhaps refers to Buho virginianus ; they 

 therefore reject Gmelin's title and employ that of Vieillot for this Owl. We may add 

 that there is no evidence at present that Asio clamator occurs anywhere near Mexico, 

 for, though widely spread in South America, we have not traced it beyond the State of 

 Panama in its range northwards. 



Some difference of opinion exists as to the position of this species — whether it should 

 stand in the genus Buho, as Mr. Eidgway holds, or in Asio, as Dr. Sharpe and 

 Count von Berlepsch maintain. The form of the ear-opening, we think, decides this 

 question in favouj of the latter view, as the ears are quite as large as in Asio 

 wilsonianus or A. accipifrinus, and not comparatively small as in Bubo virginianus. 



Asio clamator, though provided with long ear-tufts, can be readily distinguished from 

 A. wilsonianus by its shorter wings and by the absence of any transverse dark marks 

 on the feathers of the under surface, the shafts alone being conspicuous. In this latter 

 respect it resembles A. accipifrinus, from which, again, it differs in its long ear-tufts 

 and other characters. 



As already stated, A. clamator only just enters our fauna. We have a specimen 

 sent us by Hughes from Paraiso Station on the Line of the Panama Eailway, and there 

 is another in the British Museum which was obtained by Arc^ in one of his later 

 collections. Southwards of this it occurs over the greater part of the continent as far 

 us Uruguay. 



Specimens seem to vary considerably in size, and the large. bird of Monte Video 

 was called Otus midas by Schlegel, who adopted a name of Lichtenstein's. This 

 variation in size is also referred to by Count von Berlepsch ^, but he reserved giving a 

 definite opinion on the subject for want of more specimens. 



3. Asio stygius. 



Nyctalops stygius, Wagl. Isis, 1833, p. 1231 \ 



Otus stygius, Pelz. Orii. Bras. p. 10°; Ridgw. in Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. Birds, iii. p. 17'. 



Asio stygius, Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. ii. p. 241 *. 



Otus siagupa, d'Orb. in R. de la Sagra's Hist. Cuba, iii. p. 40, t. 2 " ; Gundl. Orn. Cub. p. 50 °. 



Supra saturate fuscus, sparsim cervino irroratus, plumis cervicis posticte lateraliter cervino maculatis : subtus 

 cervino-albidus, plumis omnibus medialiter fuscis, eis abdominis quoque bi- aut trifasciatis ; loris fuscis, 

 facie sordide fnsco-albida ; alis fuscis, ad basin cervino variegafcis et in pogonio interno nonunquam cervino 

 maculatis ; cauda fusca, cervino maculata ; tarsis cervinis, fusco punotatis ; digitis nudis, sparsim setosis. 

 Long, tota circa 16"5, alse 13'7, caudse 6-7, tarsi 2-15. (Descr. maris ex San Eafael del Norte, Nicaragua. 

 Mus. nostr.) 



Hob. Mexico; Nicaeagua, San Eafael del Norte {W. B. Eichardson). — Colombia; 

 Guiana, Amazons 2; Brazil ^ 2; Cuba^^. 



