Mr. G. N. Lawrence on the Genus Gymnoglaux. 187 
The features by which the species may be distinguished 
readily are given below :— 
1. G. nudipes. —Dark brown above; all the feathers of the 
under surface striped and barred^ giving to these parts a 
general dark appearance; front rufous; tarsi feathered for 
half their lengthy and of a rufous colour^ with brown bands. 
Length 94 inches^ wing 64, tail 3f, tarsus I 4 . 
2. G. newtoni. —^Above of a much lighter rufous than G. 
nudipeSj and less densely striped and barred below; front 
white; the abdomen immaculate; tarsi feathered for half 
their length with whitish feathers tinged with rufous. Length 
8 inches, wing 65 , tail 34, tarsus 
3. G. lawrencii. —Brown above, spotted with white; the 
shaft-stripes on the under plumage heavy, and the webs with¬ 
out the cross markings, but the ends of the feathers edged 
with light brown; lower part of abdomen without markings; 
front brown; tarsi bare of feathers. Length 74 inches, 
wing 51, tail 34, tarsus IJ. 
[Our knowledge of the species of the genus Gymnoglaux 
is so limited, and specimens are so scarce in collections, that 
we welcome any information tending to throw light upon 
the relationship of the species to one another. Still we can¬ 
not quite accept Mr. Lawrence^s present solution of the 
question as to the number of species as final. When we 
proposed the name G. lawrencii (P. Z. S. 1868, p. 327) we 
took the opportunity of stating that a comparison of a speci¬ 
men from St. Thomas with Daudin^s type specimen of G. 
nudipes, from Puerto Bico, still extant in the Paris Museum, 
convinced us of their identity. The diversity of the colouring 
of the plumage in some species of Owls is so notorious, that it 
is very probable that greater variation in this respect may 
exist in G. nudipes than Mr. Lawrence gives it credit for 
possessing. If so, G. newtoni and G. krugii may both be G. 
nudipes after all. That Puerto Rico is inhabited by two 
species of Gymnoglaux we hesitate to believe; but should this 
prove to be the case, the name to be reinstated, according 
to our view, will be G. krugiij and not G. newtoni. 
