98 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



■y. nsttis. 



Scops usta, ScL., P. Z. S. March 9,1858, 13'2 (Ega, Upper Jmazons.—Mus. Norwich); 

 Trans. Zool. Soc. Loud. IV, 1859, 265, pi. Ixi.— Gray, Hand-1, 1, 18(39, 47.— Bouc, 

 Cat. Av. 1876, 91.— Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1866, 198 ; Ex. Orn. 102. . 

 Scops brasUianus, subsp. a. Scojfs ustus, Sharpe, Cat. Strig. Brit. Mus. 1875, 111 

 {Saraijacu and Chamicuros, E. Peru; Venezuela f). 



Habitat.— Um^er Amazonia (Ega; Scl., I. c; Chamicuros and Sara- 

 yacu, E. rem, and Venezuela? ; Sharpe, I. c). 



This form I have never seen, and therefore have to give descriptions 

 at second hand. Tlie original one (Sclater, I. c.) is as follows : — 



" Supra saturate castaneo-brunnea, plumis omnibus nigro subtilissime 

 vermiculatis ; facie et gulapure castaneo-brunneis, hac pallidiore : linea 

 post regionem auricularem,cornuum capitis extantium marginibus latis 

 et pileo supero nigris : alarum pennis pallide castaneo brunneis nigro 

 punctulatis, intus autem ochracenti-albidis, quinque et sex fasciis latis 

 iu pogonio externo, raaculas quadratas efiicientibus, nigris trans-vitta- 

 tus ; Cauda ex eodem colore sed fasciis nigris psene obsoletis : subtus 

 clarius brunnea, lineis augustis longitudinalibus, scapus plumorum 

 occupantibus, nigris parcenotata: tectricibus alarum inferioribus sor- 

 dide albis : tarsis pallide fulvis : rostro et pedibus flavis. 

 " Long, tota 8.5, alee 7.0, caudse 4.0, tarsi 1.2. 

 " Hab. Ega, on the Upper Amazon (H. W. Bates)." 

 Tlie above description, and the plate accompanying it, represent a form 

 of Scops of which I have never seen typical examples. It seems clearly 

 to belong to S. brasiUanus, of which it is probably a peculiar " strain '' — 

 hardly to be called the rufescent extreme (since the latter is to be found 

 in the bright rufous phase of '-' guatemakv''^), but rather showing a very 

 highly-colored condition, in which the rufous tint is spread rather than 

 intensified, so as to more or less completely obliterate the usual white 

 markings. The case seems to be somewhat parallel to that of S. Icnnicotti 

 as compared with 8. asio, and is probably more or less closely connected 

 with climatic peculiarities of the district inhabited by the race ; for 

 instance, an excessive rain fall and a prevalence of denser and darker 

 forests than generally exist to the eastward. 

 According to Mr. Sclater [l. c), this form " is distinguishable from 



every South American member of the genus by its rich brown 



coloring above and below, and by the longitudinal lines below not being 

 crossed as in S. choliba and S. atricapiUa.^'' 



Among the .iumerous specimens of Scops brasiUanus in the series 

 betore me, is one which seems to approach quite nearly to the characters 

 of this race, being devoid of shari)Iy defined black bars below, where, 

 in their place, are extremely irregular ragged zigzags of rusty rufous, 

 the blackish shaft-streaks being unusually broad, and externally suifused 

 with rufous; only the terminal half, or exposed portion, of the abdom- 

 inal feathers is white, the entire breast, tibiir, and tarsus having a 

 uniform deep ochraceous ground-color. Among other differences from 



