48 ARKIV FÖR ZOOLOGI. BAND 14. NIO 25. 



has the back unspotted and uniform, although rufous. The 

 tail is rufous, dark along the centre of the quills and with ob- 

 solete dark bars. The second and fourth specimens ha ve 

 concealed light spöts on the back, but the pattern of the tail 

 is normal. It cannot be denied, that the rufous phase of 

 this owl as represented in this collection very much resembles 

 the corresponding phase of. G. jardinii, but in G. p. grisei- 

 ceps the white spöts on the pileum are larger and more pronoun- 

 ced, bordered with black behind also in the rufous phase. It 

 is thus no difficulty to pick out the griseiceps from a series of 

 both forms, but we are inclined to think, that they substitute 

 each other in different localities. This Central American form 

 does not appear to have been recorded from Ecuador before. 



Tyto perlata »contempta» Hart. — 1 $ "/g, 1 $ ^/g, 1 c^ 

 pull. ^755 1 P^ll- (^ö date), Quito, in church-towers ; 1 (^ ^^1^, 

 Santa Clara de San Millan, outside Quito; 1 (^ ^/q, 1 c^ ^Ve? 

 Chaupicruz, 4 miles north of Quito, 9400 f.; 1 (^ & 1 ? "/g, 

 Zambiza, 15 miles northeast of Quito, 7500 f.; 1 (^ 7i' 1 <^ W^^- 

 ^/g, Pichincha above Quito, 10500 f.; 1 (^ ^74' Sangolqui, Chillo 

 Valley, 8600 f. 



Hartert's name contempta is used above, because these 

 specimens evidently are from almost the same locality, from 

 which the author quoted received his type-specimens, on which 

 lie based this name. The majority of our adult specimens 

 differ, however, considerably in colour from Hartert's de- 

 scription. They are namely quite white on the lower side, 

 only with some faint buffish tint on some feathers and with 

 a varying, but usually small number of small dark spöts. 

 Some specimens are, however, darker, chiefly the young ones, 

 with the lower surface some sliade of buff and at the same 

 time with a greater number of dark spöts. White-bellied 

 specimens have the tarsal plumage white, and the buff-co- 

 loured ones have in a corresponding manner buff tarsi. The 

 former have the orbital ruff white, the latter have it more or 

 less deeply tinged with tawny. In the former the upper side 

 is lighter, mottled grey much mixed with buff especially on 

 the upper back and the scapular region, whereas the latter 

 have the back much darker, rather fuscous grey and with less 

 buff. In a corresponding manner the wings are resp. lighter 

 and darker. From this may be concluded that the Barn-Owl 

 of Quito cannot be ter med a dark race, but rather the oppo- 



