ALDROVANDINE OWLET. 423 



longer. The head is very large, broad, and rounded, the bill 

 short, stout, compressed toward the end, with the upper out- 

 line decurved, the lower convex, the cere of moderate length, 

 the tip of the upper mandible acute, that of the lower round- 

 ed. The tarsi are of moderate length, and covered with short 

 rather compact feathers ; the toes bare, each with four terminal 

 scutella ; the claws slightly curved, compressed, very acute. 

 The conch of the ear elliptical, four twelfths of an inch long. 

 The nostrils roundish and large. 



The plumage is full, on the upper parts more compact than 

 in any other British Owl ; the feathers generally ovato-oblong 

 and obtuse, on the sides and tibiae very long and downy. The 

 facial disks are discontinued over the eyes, and the ruff is short 

 and inconspicuous. On each side of the head, over and behind 

 the eye, is a large tuft of about twelve feathers. The wings 

 are very long ; the third quill longest, the second scarcely 

 shorter, the first nearly as long as the sixth. The tail is rather 

 short, slightly arched, and somewhat rounded. 



The bill is black ; the claws whitish at the base, dusky at 

 the end. The general colour of the plumage is light grey, the 

 fore part of the back tinged with reddish-brown, all the feathers 

 with a central brownish-black line, and transverse minute un- 

 dulations of the same colour. On the outer scapulars is a large 

 whitish spot near the end ; the quills are banded and undulat- 

 ed with greyish-brown and greyish-w^hite, the primaries having 

 conspicuous white spots between the brown bands on the outer 

 web ; the tail similarly marked. The facial disks minutely 

 dotted with brown ; the lower parts greyish -white, undulated 

 with brown, and longitudinally streaked with dusky; the tarsal 

 feathers brownish-grey, with a median dark line. 



Length to end of tail 7^ inches ; wing from flexure 6j ; 

 tail 3^ ; bill along the ridge j% ; tarsus 1 ; hind toe j^^, its 

 claw ^^1 ; second toe j''^, its claw j^^ ; third toe i%, its claw j^^ ; 

 fourth toe jij, its claw ^ ^. 



Female. — The female is somewhat larger than the male, and 

 has more brown on the upper parts, but is otherwise similar. 



