446 ULULA TENGMALMI. 



the neck short, the body full, but only in appearance, owing 

 to the thick and very soft plumage. The bill is short, very 

 deep and strong ; the upper mandible with its outline decurved 

 from the base, the ridge and sides convex, the tip acute and at 

 the end nearly perpendicular ; the lower mandible with the 

 angle wide, the dorsal line slightly convex, the edges inflected, 

 and toward the end decurved, with a distinct sinus on each 

 side close to the abruptly rounded tip. The nostrils are broadly 

 elliptical, oblique, in the fore part of the short cere, which 

 bulges out behind them. The eyes are large. The conch is of 

 an elliptical form, and of great size, being an inch and a quarter 

 in length, extending from near the top of the head to the base 

 of the lower jaw, and having an anterior semicircular oijercu- 

 lum stretching along its whole length. It is thus very differ- 

 ent from that of Syrnia passerina, being proportionally as large 

 as that of Ulula Aluco, and precisely of the same form. The 

 head is extremely large, and somewhat triangular. The feet 

 are rather short ; the tarsi and toes covered with very soft 

 downy feathers ; the latter having two scutella at the end. 

 The claws are well curved, slender, compressed, and taper to a 

 fine point. 



The facial disk is complete, being composed of series of ra- 

 diating feathers having disunited filaments. The ruff is also 

 complete, extending from the base of the upper mandible to 

 the throat, and composed of several series of narrow, slightly 

 recurved, rather compact feathers. The plumage is full, very 

 soft, and blended ; the feathers broadly oblong and rounded at 

 the tip. The wings are rather long, very broad, much rounded, 

 and convex ; the first five quills having the inner web cut out 

 near the end ; the second, third, and fourth with the outer nar- 

 rowed ; the first quill equal to the seventh, the second four 

 twelfths of an inch shorter than the third, which is longest, but 

 scarcely exceeds the fourth ; the filaments of the outer web of 

 the first with their tips free and recurved ; those of the second 

 and third similar toward the end. The tail is of moderate 

 length, slightly arched, and somewhat rounded. 



The bill is greyish-brown at the base, yellowish- white at the 

 end ; the claws yellowish-brown, with their tips dusky. The 



