26 liUBOMD-H. 



18o4, p. 542 ; Strickl. Oni. Si/n. p. ^lli; Schl. Miis. I'.-B. Oti, p. 8; 



Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 44 ; Hume, Sir. F. i. p. 11)3. 

 Bubo cavearius, lloihjs. J. A. *'. B. xix. p. 1(3'J. 

 Ascnlapliia benfralensis, Bli/fJi, Ibis, 1860, p. 252 ; Hume, Rouyh 



Xutcs, ii. p. 3lJG ; jYt'«fe c^ -£V//7S /«<?. ^. p. 62. 



Adult. Upper surface blackish on the back, much mottled with 

 light yellowish buff, distributed in lateral spots on most of the 

 feathers, some of these spots whitish and slightly obscured by zigzag 

 markings of dark brown, the outer scapulars almost entirely whitish, 

 especially on their external web, forming a conspicuous shoulder- 

 patch ; wing-coverts blackish like the back, the least series mottled 

 with a few whitish or yellowish spots, the median and greater coverts 

 with large subterminal spots of white on both webs, very distinct and 

 dear on the outer, but slightly marked with brown mottlings on the 

 inner one ; primary coverts dark brown at tip, slightly vermiculated, 

 tlie rump-feathers also with a central arrow-shaped spot of brown ; 

 tail clear tawny buff, whitish at tip, crossed with rather narrow 

 bands of dark brown, of which there are about seven on the outer 

 web, the centre feathers dark brown, crossed with about five bands 

 of whitish buff, aU mottled with zigzag brown markings ; face very 

 light-coloured, the lores and plumes in front of the eye white, with 

 black tips to the shafts ; above the hinder part of the eye a small 

 black patch ; cheeks white ; ear-coverts dull tawny buff with dusky 

 shaft-lines, the hinder margin black, forming a lateral line down the 

 sides of the face, this line being succeeded by a ruff of pale tawny 

 buff' feathers, with broad central streaks of dark brown, these show- 

 ing very distinctly on the lower part ; head and neck much lighter 

 than the back, the general colour being bright tawny buff, streaked 

 broadly down the centre of each feather with blackish brown, many 

 of the plumes of the wing inclining to whitish buff near their tips ; 

 ear-tufts 2-25 inches long, black, narrowly margined on the outer 

 web, but broadly on the inner one, with yeDowish buff; chin 

 ■whitish, the throat crossed with a bar of stiff recurved fulvous 

 feathers, streaked down the centre with brown, in continuation of 

 the facial ruff ; breast whitish buff, with broad mesial streaks of dark 

 brown with fulvous mottling, the basal half tawny buff, barred across 

 with brown ; primaries tawny buff, brown at tip, and barred across 

 with dark brown, the secondaries marked in the same manner, but 

 rather duller, the buff interspaces inclining to whitish externally, and 

 all more or less mottled with brown vermiculations, the innermost 

 almost entirely brown, largely spotted with white on the outer and 

 with buff on the inner web, aU these spots more or less obscured by 

 brown zigzag bars or vermiculations ; lower back, rump, and upper 

 taU-coverts clear tawny buff, with a few irregular and nearly obso- 

 lete bars of brown, some of these streaks dilating towards the 

 tips ; belly light yellowish buff, with narrow and indistinct trans- 

 verse bars of brown, a Httle plainer on the feathers of the lower 

 breast, which have also tolerably distinct central streaks of brown, 

 the under tail-coverts fulvous, less distinctly barred ; leg-feathers 

 imiform fulvous ; under wing-coverts tawny buff, slightly barred 



