ER Sa ae EE MXN PCE gy ES eT T 
1893.] Evolution in the Genus Megascops. 647 
D.—INFLUENCE or Forest AREAS. 
In speaking of the two color phases, the terms “reds” and 
“grays” have been used, and when applied in their broadest 
sense, refer to the predominating colors, and consequently to 
those areas in which either color is in the majority. On ma 
No. 2, the light and dark areas represent respectively the 
territory in which the red and gray phases predominate. Map 
No. 5 shows the predominating distribution of the two great 
divisions of our forest trees—deciduous and coniferous—the 
lighter shade indicating the region where the conifers are in the 
majority, and the darker the deciduous. Now, by a comparison 
of the two, it will be seen that the distribution of the color phases 
of the screech-owl coincides, to a large extent, with the distribu- 
tion of the coniferous and deciduous forests. This similarity 
of distributions between fauna and flora was so striking, that 
to ascertain whether or not there was any real connection 
between the two, a similar state of affairs was looked for, and 
found in the case of the tawny owl (Striz aluco) of Europe. 
This bird furnishes a somewhat parallel case to that of Megas- 
cops, as in England, where it is stated that the forests are 
largely deciduous—Yarrell writes’ that red is the predominat- 
ing color, while in Scotland, coniferous as a whole, Mr. John 
A. Harvie-Brown informs me that the reverse is the case.’ 
Coniferous forests in the eastern part of the United States have 
a grayish cast,and the point to be brought forward is that 
where the general aspect of the forest growth is gray, gray 
birds are found. As an instance, in the South where the for- 
ests are largely bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), and covered 
with a profusion of Spanish moss, the whole country is decid- 
edly gray, and here the gray birds are almost the exclusive 
form known. 
€ History of British Birds, 4th Ed., I, 153. 
7 On the Continent, in Europe, it appears to be a pretty-well established fact that the 
red birds are females, and the grays males, which is a remarkable state of affairs when 
compared with existing conditions on the British Isles: 
ith the screech-owl, of 55 pairs known to have been actually mated, 39 males 
and 28 females were red, while 27 males and 24 females were gray, showing that 
Megascops is in no way approaching the condition of Strix. 
43 
