34 BrBosiD.?:. 



Buto sultaneus, Less. Traite, p. 1 15 ; Pitcher. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 



1849, p. 27 ; Grail, Gen. B. i. p. 37. 

 Bubo verieauxii, Bp. Cousp. i. p. 49 ; Lat/ard, B. S. Afr. p. 38 ; 



Graij, Hand-l. B. i. p. 44; Biickleij, Ibis', 1874, p. 302. * 

 UiTualacteus, Kaiq), Tr. Z. S. iv. p. 244, et Contr. Orn. 1852, p. 117. 

 Iluhiiix verroauxi, Gmiiey, Ibis, 1868, p. 147; tV^. in Anderss. B. 



Dam. Ld. p. 41. 



Adult female. General colour greyish brown; the back brown, 

 scantily freckled with greyish white, more coarsely on the scapulars, 

 the outermost of which are more or less ■s\'hite extcniaUy, more or 

 less vermiculatcd with brown zigzag lines ; head and neck lighter 

 than the back, the crown crossed with broader lines of white ; ear- 

 tufts 2-5 inches long, brown freckled with white lines, the tip uni- 

 form bro\\Ti ; wing-coverts coloured like the back, and freckled in 

 the same way, many of the feathers uniform brown on the inner 

 web, the greater series white at the tips of the feathers, forming an 

 irregular bar down the wing, these spots slightly varied with brown 

 frecklings ; primarj- coverts nearly uniform dark brown, with faintly 

 indicated bars of lighter brown ; quills brown, tipped with whitish 

 and barred with darker brown, the lighter interspaces slightly 

 freckled with brown, especially on the inner web of the secondaries, 

 which incline to whitish, the innermost secondaries brown freckled 

 with whitish lines, and resembling the back ; upper tail-coverts 

 rather lighter than the back, the white vermiculations rather broader ; 

 tail-feathers ashy brown, tipped with whitish and crossed with four 

 bars of darker brown, the light interspaces being freckled with 

 greyish white on the centre feathers, and whitish on the inner webs 

 of the outer ones ; lores whitish, obscured by blackish bristles ; 

 sides of face white, the hinder margin of the ear-coverts black, 

 forming a lateral line down the sides of the head, behind which is 

 an indistinct ruff of white feathers, barred narrowlj- with greyish 

 black, resembling the plumes of the sides of the neck ; chin and 

 throat white, as well as the cheeks, these feathers broadly streaked 

 with black, the lower throat narrowly barred with greyish black ; 

 fore neck white, with scarcely any cross lines ; rest of iinder surface 

 of body ashy grey, everywhere vermiculatcd with whitish, more 

 thickly on the chest, the breast-feathers as well as those of the 

 flanks and sides of the body white, barred across with brown, the 

 lower flank-feathers widely barred ; centre of abdomen white ; leg- 

 featliers and under tail-coverts white, with more or less indistinct 

 zigzag cross lines of greyish brown ; under wing-coverts whitish, 

 with greyish transvcrmiculations, exactly like the breast, the lower 

 series black, white at base, forming a wing-bar, and resembling tho 

 inner lining of the wing, which is blackish brown, broadly barred 

 with white on the inner web ; cere bluish grey ; bill pale ash- 

 colour ; iris very dark hazel ; eyelid a conspicuous pink. 



Ohs. Specimens of this Owl from South Africa are often regarded 

 as belonging to a diflferent species, which is called Bubo, or Buhna, 

 verreaiuvi. Mr. Gurney has argued in favour of their recognition as 

 distinct species : and he gives the following measurements in support 

 of his plea (Ibis, 18GS, p. 148) :— 



