92 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



individual nature, however, are best treated under the head of each 

 particular race. 



a. brasilianus. 



Le Hibou de Bresil, Briss., Orn. I, 1760, 499 (Brazil ; = rufous phase, with feathers of 



lower surface distinctly rufous below the surface, and sharply barred). 

 Strix brasiliana, Gmel., S. N. I, i, 1788, 289 (ex Briss., I. c). 



Scops brasilianas, Gray, Hand-1. I, 1869, 47 (part).— Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1868, 629 



(Venezuela)', 1870, 782 (Merida, Venezuela)', 1873, 304 (E.Peru)', Nom.Neotr. 



1873, 117 (part).— Sharpe, Cat. Strig. Brit. Mus. 1875,108 (Bahia; Para; 



Island of Mexiana ; Upper Amazons ; Cayenne; Trinidad; Caraccas ; Andoquia ; 



Columbia).— Finsch, P. Z. S. 1870, 557 (Trinidad *).— Bouc., Cat. Av. 1876, 91. 

 Ephialites brasiliensis, Gray, Genera B. I, 1844, 35. 

 Otus brasiliensis, Temm. & Schleg., Fauna Jap. 1845, 25. 



Scops brasiliensis, Bonap., Consp. I, 1850, 46. — Kaup, Contr. Orn. 1852, 112. — 



Schleg., Mus. P.-B. Oti, 1862, 21 ; Rev. Acc. 1873, 11. 

 Megascops brasiliensis, Kaup, t. c. 228. 

 Asio brasiliensis, Bonap., Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854,543. 

 Choliba, Azara, Apunt. II, 1802-05, 218. 



Strix choliba, Vieill., Nouv. Diet. XVI, 1817, 39 (ex Azara, I. a), ( = u brasilianus" 

 style, with feathers of lower parts distinctly orange-rufous below surface, 

 etc.). 



Ephialitts choliba, Gray, Genera B. I, 1844, 38.— Pelz., Orn. Bras. 1870, 9. 

 Scops choliba, D'Orb., Voy. Ois. 1835-M4, 132.— Tschudi, Fauna Per. 1844, 118.— 

 Strickl., Oru. Syn. I, 1855, 204.— Lawk., Ann. Lyc. N. Y. VII, 1862, 462 (New 

 Granada).— Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1866, 198. 

 Strix decussata, Liciit., Verz. Doubl. 1823, 59. 



Scojos decussata, Burm., Th. Bras. II, 1856, 126 (grayish phase). 

 Strix crucigera, Spix, Av. Bras. I, 1824, 22, pi. 9. 

 Strix undulala, Spix, t. c. pi. 10. 



Ephialiles argentina, Light., Norn. 1854, 7.— Schleg., Mus. P.-B. Oti, 1862, 21. 



Scops argentina, Gray, Handl. 1, 1869, 47. 

 ? Scops lophotes, Less., Traitd, I, 1831, 107.t— Pucheran, Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1849, 22 



* " Oue specimen, agreeing with Brazilian specimens." 



t "Tout le dessus du corps hrun foncd, ponctutf de roux, inais par points tres-tdnus, 

 tres-rapproch6s et tres-nombreux. Les dessous du corps roux, flammd de noir, formant 

 une masse brune sur la poitrine ; les huppes 61argies a la base. Patrie inconnue. 



" Obscrv. On doit ajouter a ce eous-genre le Hibou chaperonne, Strix atricapilla, * 

 Temm., pi. 145, du Brdsil, et le Hibou noctule, Strix noctula, Reinw., Temm., pi. 99, de 

 Java et de Sumatra, qui est peut-etre l'espece 25, ddcrite sous le nom de Scops de Java" 

 [Lesson, I. c] 



From the description alone, as quoted above, it is absolutely impossible to decide to 

 which of the races of S. brasilianus this reference belongs. It is qnite as likely to be 

 a synonym of the form we distinguish as atricapillus, Temm. (see p. 95). Sclater and 

 Salvin (Ex. Orn VII, 1868, p. 102), who have seen Lesson's type, say that it is " proba- 

 bly only a paler form " of S. brasilianus. Another name, usually referred to S. brasili- 

 anus, but which we are in doubt about, is Scops porloricensis, Less. (Traitd, I, 1831, 

 107. — " Scops de Porto Rico"). We have never seen a specimen of this genus from 

 any of the West India islands, but think it quite likely that peculiar races exist there. 

 Of this bird also, Messrs. Sclater and Salvin " have seen the type-specimens, ... in the 

 Paris Museum, and have been unable to distinguish it from S. brasilianus." We quote 

 below Lesson's description in full : — 



" D'un gris-roux glac6, strie" en long de flammeches roux-brun, plus finementstrid en 

 travers; deux huppes 61argies et triangulares sur les cOtds de latere; faille uu peu 

 plus forte, et teiute beaucoup plus blonde que l'espece d'Europe. Habite Pile de Porto- 

 Rico. (Mus. de Paris, MaugC.)" 



