4. SCOPS. 55 



to exactly resemble the secondaries, which are barred in the same 

 manner externally, the inner webs barred with paler brown, shading 

 off into yellowish white on the interioi; margin of the quills ; the 

 primaries externally notched or barred with white, giving a very 

 distinct chequered appearance to the outer aspect of the wing, all 

 the tips of the feathers barred with sandy buff, many of the darker 

 bars dissolving and breaking up into mottliugs and vermiculations ; 

 the innermost secondaries coloured like the back -with concealed bars 

 of yellowish buff, and barred with whitish near the tips of the 

 feathers ; tail brown, the dark bars varied with sandy buff vermi- 

 culations, all the feathers very distinctly crossed with bars of the 

 same colour, inclining to white near the tips, about six bands being 

 distinguishable on the centre feathers, these being a little more 

 distinct on the exterior rectrices, the outermost of which are notched 

 with white ; loral plumes whitish at base, black at tips, the shaft- 

 lines produced into long black hair-like bristles ; feathers over the 

 eye huffy white, with narrow subterminal zigzag lines of brown, and 

 the inner webs also bro-^vni, so that the superciliary line is not at all 

 distinct ; behind the upper part of the eye some dusky brown feathers ; 

 ear-coverts dusky grey, clouded with blackish cross markings ; behind 

 the ear-coverts an indistinct ruff of orange-buflf feathers, tipped with 

 brownish black, the plumes adjoining the throat being also orange- 

 buff, but finely barred with dark brown ; chin-feathers buify white ; 

 rest of under surface dull greyish, washed here and there with pale 

 orange-buff, some of the feathers distinctly streaked down the centre 

 with blackish brown, and all more or less distinctly waved with 

 narrow zigzag lines of brown ; the chest crossed with many distinct 

 bars of whitish, these bars predominating on the abdomen, where 

 the cross lines are more scanty and the whitish colour prevails, the 

 flank-feathers having ii-regular cross bars of orange-buff, and being 

 only vermiculated with brown dots at the tip, these markings being 

 still more scanty on the under tail-coverts, which are to a great 

 extent white ; leg-feathers buffy white, streaked with bro-mi : under 

 wing-coverts huffy whitish, those near the edge of the wing brown, 

 mottled and barred with sandy buff, the lower series pale ashy 

 brown, sandy buff at base, and resembling the inner lining of the 

 wing, which is ashy brown, very broadly and distinctly banded with 

 yellowish white on the inner web ; bill horn-brown, the lower 

 mandible yello^^^sh ; feet probably fleshy brown in life. Total 

 length 7'5 inches, wing 5-5, tail 2-85, tarsus 0-95. 



Ohs. This little Owl belongs to the same group as S. giu, and is 

 quite different in appearance, -without giving very tangible characters 

 for specific separation. Its general colour is ashy brown above, 

 without any greyish shade ; the ear- coverts dusky grey ; the collar 

 round the neck is very indistinct, and is represented by certain pale 

 buff-coloured bars or spots without any appearance of white what- 

 soever ; on the back, however, are several very distinct spots and 

 bars of the same pale buff-colour, giving a very marked character 

 to these peculiarities. The specimen which I have described is 

 said to be from China, and presented to the Museum by Mr. J. E. 



