[35] Gray, in his “Hand List,” gives in addition S. fusca, Vieill., a West Indian (“Antilles”) species, which proves to be not congeneric with S. cunicularia, and also S. domingensis (Gm.) Müll., which I cannot identify as one of the races of S. cunicularia.
[36] Speotyto cunicularia, var. grallaria? ? Strix grallaria, Spix, Av. Braz. I, 21, 1824.—? Tem. Pl. Col. 146. I am by no means satisfied that this form is the true grallaria, but it seems to come nearer to it than any other described. Three specimens (two from Peru, in the National Museum, and one, without label, in the Museum of the Boston Society of Natural History) have been examined, and agree in the characters diagnosed above.
[37] Speotyto cunicularia, var. cunicularia. Strix cunicularia, Molina, St. Chil. 1782, 343. Gmel. S. N. 292, sp. 28,—and of other authors referring to the South American bird.
[38] Speotyto cunicularia, var. guadeloupensis, Ridgway. This bird is merely a very dark local form of the common species, though it differs very appreciably in the sharper definition, greater extent, and more intense tint of the brown markings of its plumage.
I have been unable to find any description of this form, and believe it to be unnamed. It is certainly not the S. dominicensis, Gmel. (S. N. 296, S. domingensis, Müll. Gray’s Hand List, 43, No. 438), not S. fusca, Vieill. (Gray’s Hand List, No. 439). The type is in the collection of the Boston Society of Natural History, and belongs to the Lafresnaye collection (No. 787).
[39] We give, above, three well-marked illustrations of asymmetry: two relating to the auditory apparatus of the two sides of the head, and one of opposite sides of the skull.
[40] As in the case of the Strigidæ, my determinations of the North American species of Falconidæ were furnished, according to request, to Dr. Coues, for use in his “Key to North American Birds.” (R. R.)
[41] By this is meant that they are all of equal length and thickness, and not progressively smaller from the posterior one to the outer, as in all Falconidæ with the sole exception of Pandion, though there is a very near approach to this feature in one or two of the species of Haliætus.
[42] As in all the Strigidæ.
[43] Embracing besides the Falcones all the Polyborine genera, besides Herpetotheres and Micrastur.