BY C. W. DE VIS, M.A. 1135 



and a line passing over the eye and root of the ear pale fawn, with 

 a darker mesial stripe (conspicuous in spirits) running forward to 

 the muzzle. Eyelid and around the eye dark brown in a patch 

 extending a little forwards on the face. Edge of the ear internally, 

 and anterior half externally dark grey. Hinder half of the ear 

 white. A dark brown streak runs down the side of the neck and 

 expands on the fore part of the arm. On the back of the thigh is 

 a less distinct patch of similar colour. Upper surface of maims 

 and pes brown. All the lower surface yellowish-white. This 

 extends over the upper lip, to the back of the ear, over the edge of 

 the lateral fold and around the distal end of the leg. 



The fur is short and silky and terminates at the rump. The 

 base of the tail is contracted and sparsely covered with hair ; it 

 consequently appears lighter in colour than the rest of the tail on 

 which the hair is moderately close, long and of a dark brownish 

 grey above, recumbent, with a distinct tendency to form a fringe 

 on either side. The under surface of the tail is more scantily 

 clothed with shorter white hair continued centrally to an eighth of 

 an inch from the tip, and laterally nearly to the tip. The ear is 

 short, rounded and broad at the base, well clothed externally and 

 fairly well internally with short hair. The muzzle is broad and 

 obtuse. The hair on the hinder part of the face is elongated and 

 spreads vibrissre-like over the root of the ear. The claws are well- 

 developed and exserted. The fleshy pads of the manus and pes 

 are nearly smooth, the central pad of the manus and terminal 

 pads of the pes being alone slightly striated longitudinally. 



The length of the head and body is 1*7 inch (43 mm.), of the 

 tail 1-65 inch (42 mm.). 



NlNOX BOOBOOK, Var. LURIDA. 



Taking due heed of the possibility that the little owl to be noticed 

 may be a dwarfed variety of JV. boobook, the writer refrains from 

 giving it a specific name ; at the same time he is induced to point 

 out its distinctive features by a wish to maintain the usefulness 

 of Mr. Sharpe's key to the genus. 



Synoptical characters. 

 73 



