4. SCOPS. 45 



birds ; and I cannot sufficiently thank those gentlemen who have 

 aided me by the loan of specimens, especially Mr. Allan Hume, 

 who has sent over from India beautiful series of all the Indian 

 8cops Owls as determined by him, thus enabling me to make out 

 several species which must otherwise have been uncharacterizcd in 

 the present work. 



I can hardly expect that all ornithologists will acquiesce in my 

 vit!ws as to the subspecies or races which I have believed it to be my 

 duty to recognize. These races do exist in nature, and they may be 

 called by whatever name naturalists please, " varieties," " races," 

 " subspecici?," " climatic forms," &c. ; but it has seemed to me better 

 to keep these forms, many of which are very well characterized, 

 distinct from one another, than to merge them all as one species, and 

 thus to obliterate all records of natural fads, which are plain enough 

 to the practised eye of the ornithologist, though difficult to describe 

 in words. As wiU be seen below, the series in the Museum is very 

 fine, and nearly all the variations mentioned in the present work can 

 be examined by any one wishing to test the validity of my conclu- 

 sions. 



I have also deemed it more suitable to separate in the diagnostic 

 tables the species of the Old World from those of the New, as the 

 faeies of the Scops Owls from the American continent is very different 

 from that of the Old- World species, and can hardly lead to their being 

 confounded one with another. There appear to be only two repre- 

 sentative species, as follows : — 



Old World. New World. 



Scops gill. Scops Jlammeola, 



Scops semitorques. Scops kennicotti. 



These are, however, very easily distinguishable as species, though 

 belonging to the same groups. 



A. Species of the Old World. 



a. Bill more or less dusky (in skin), horn-coloured, 

 or brownish, always marked with some dark 

 shade. 

 «'. Sides of face greyish, or brown of some shade 

 or other, never pure white. 

 a". Bands on head and neck never very distinct ; 

 collar round hind neck composed of fea- 

 thers mottled with buft' or white, never 

 forming an ocliraceous collar as in the 

 other group ; sides of neck generally co- 

 loured like iiind neck, but not forming a 

 continuation of neck-collar. 

 a'". Legs slender. 



a'. General colour grey or brown of various 

 shades ; upper surface distinctly ver- 

 miculated. 

 fl\ Tarsi feathered. 



a*^. Upper and under surfoce distinctly 



