which is white, the lowest series ashy brown, jeUowi.sh while at the 

 bases, and resembling the iinier lining of the quills, which are ashy 

 brown below, barred with slightly paler brown, inclining to yellowish 

 white near the bases of the feathers ; " bill bluish horn (more or less 

 j-ellow in dried skins) ; feet fleshy grey ; iris variable, yellow in the 

 young, brown in the old birds " {Hothjson). Total length 8'5 inches, 

 wing 6-3, tail 3-3, tarsus 0-3o. 



" Sexes alike " (Hodgson). 



Obs. The brown phase of this plumage is very similar to the one 

 above described in character and markings, but is brown on the 

 upper surface where the other bird is greyish. The under surface, 

 however, is not very different. Mr. Hodgson has given four figures 

 of the sj^ecies in his ' Drawings;' and in one of them he considers 

 the grey and brown phases to be summer and winter plumage. 

 Although amongst his four skins in the Museum we doubtless pos- 

 sess the types of his species, I could not make the specimens so 

 thoroughly agree with any of the paintings as to satisfj' myself that 

 I could identify the actual individuals figured. 



Hub. Himalayas. 



a. Ad. St. India. .1. R. Reeves, Esq. [P.]. 



h. Ad. sk. Nepaul. B. H. Hodgson, Esq. [P.]. 



c. Ad.sk. Nepaul. E. H. Hodgson, Esq. | P.]. 



c1, e. Ad. sk. Nepaul. B. H. Hodgson, Esq. [P.]. 



/. Ad. sk. Darjiling. R. B. Shaiiie, Esq. [VX 



(J. Sternum. Nepaul. B. H. Hodgson, Esq. [P.]. 



Subsp. o. Scops elegans *. 



Ephialtes elegans, Cass. Pr. Phi/ad. Acad. 1852, p. 18o. 



Scops semitorques, Swinh. Ibis, 1863, p. 217, et 1867, p. 409 ; id. P. 



Z. S. 1863, p. 262 ; Dai-id, N. Arch. Mus. vol. \i\. Bull. p. 4. 

 Scops lempiji, Siciiih. Ibis, 1861, p. 265. 

 Scops elegans, Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 45. 

 Ephialtes glabripes, Swinh. Aim. N. H. (4) vi. p. 152. 

 Lempijius glabripes, Swinh. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 343; id. Ibis, 1874, 



p. 269. 



KestUng. Shrouded in down of a pure white colour ; feathers of 

 the upper surface light ochraceous buff, regularly barred across with 



♦ S. glabripes must be, I think, the bird described by Mr. Cassin as Ephialtes 

 elegans, notwithstanding a slight difference in the measurements. The specimen 

 described by Mr. Cassin bore a label " En mer, cotes du Japon, lat. 29° 47' N., 

 long. 126°" 13' 20" E." It is impossible to speak with certainty of this species 

 without examining the type ; but I quote the following remarks of Mr. Cassin 

 which accompany the original description, and which apply very well to Mr. 

 Swinhoe's S. gluhripes. " This is one of the handsomest of the small species of 

 Owls, and bears some resemblance (rather remote, however, and on a small scale) 

 to the large Horned Owls. It is somewhat like 5. scmiforqnes (Temm.), but 

 wants the white on the throat and breast, and is smaller and ditt'erently coloured, 

 and has the toes bare. It resembles also to some extent S. letda (Hodgs.) and 

 >S. lempiji (Horsf.), but is larger than either, and is otherwise different. Tlie 

 brown stripes and lines on all parts of the plumage are unusually delicate.'" 

 The diinensious are given as follows : — " Total length of skin from tip of biU to 

 end of tail about 8i to 9 inches, wing (i|. tail SJ." 



