EUROPEAN SCREECH-0\\ L. 475 



edge of lower mandible I5 ; tarsus 2/^ ; hind toe ^, its claw 

 ^2 ; second toe 1^, its claw |^2 ; third toe 1^^, its claw j% ; 

 fourth toe ^% , its claw i\ • 



Female. — The female is considerably larger, but differs 

 little in colour, the upper parts being merely somewhat darker. 

 In a perfect specimen examined on the 3d October 1835, the 

 diameter of the aperture of the eye was seven twelfths, that of 

 the ear measured four and a half twelfths in one direction, and 

 two and a half twelfths in the other ; the operculum an inch and 

 a twelfth in length, five and a half twelfths in height. The 

 bill flesh-coloured, with a small portion of the tips yellowish- 

 white ; the cere and inside of the mouth flesh-coloured ; the 

 iris black ; the edges of the eyelids and nictitant membrane 

 blackish-brown ; the tarsal scales purplish-brown, the scutella 

 and claws dark purplish-grey ; the soles dull greyish-yellow. 

 The facial disks white, with a brownish-red patch anterior to 

 the eye. The inner feathers of the ruff" white, the rest buff, 

 those of its lower third tipped with brownish-black. The 

 upper parts are light reddish-yellow, variegated with ash-grey, 

 which on the hind-neck and back is the prevailing tint, when 

 the feathers are laid close, although it occupies only a small 

 portion of the end of each, which is minutely mottled with 

 greyish-white and dark greyish-brown, and has along the me- 

 dian line from two to five small spots of dark brown and white. 

 The primary quills are mottled with grey at the end, the secon- 

 dary more or less over the outer webs ; there are five faint bars 

 of brownish-grey in dots and undulations on the outer, and 

 greyish-brown spots on the inner webs ; all the quills 2')uro 

 white on three-fourths of the breadth of their inner webs. The 

 tail is more distinctly marked with five dark grey bands ; the 

 inner webs, excepting the two middle, and the outer webs of 

 the two lateral, white. The sides and fore part of the neck of 

 a most delicate pale bufl"; the rest of the lower parts, including 

 the surface of the wings and tail, white ; some of the feathers 

 of the sides and a few of the lower wing-coverts have two small 

 dark spots near the end. 



QEsophagus four inches and a half long ; stomach broadlv 



