US BITBOXID^. 



the black sliaft-stripes very distinctly indicated ; across the throat a 

 tolerably broad band of white, separating the throat from the chest ; 

 centre of breast, abdomen, flanks, leg-feathers, and under tail-coverts 

 pure silky white, the black shaft-streaks distinct on the flank- 

 feathers, which, however, have little or no trace of the transverse 

 brown frecklings ; under wing-coverts pure white, the outermost of 

 the lower series white at base, ashy brown for their terminal half, 

 and resembling the inner lining of the quills, which are dull greyish 

 white, barred with ashy brown ; bill and feet bluish white ; iris 

 bright orange. Total length 9-5 inches, wing 7'7, tail 3-85, 

 tarsus 1*7. 



Young. Above more ochreous grey than the adiilts, regularly 

 transvermiculated with brown ; underneath browner and more 

 washed with yellowish on the lower parts than the old birds. 



Obs. But very littlf> difference exists in the plumage of this Owl, 

 which appears to constitute only one species all over Africa. Two 

 specimens in the Museum collection (one from the ^Tiite Nile, the 

 other from the Gambia) have the hinder part of the crown nearly 

 uniform black ; and as this is accompanied by a much greater 

 breadth of the mesial streaks to the feathers of the upper surface, 

 and by a yellowish tint underneath, perhaps the birds may be not 

 quite adult. In the Damara specimen described, the legs are nearly 

 pure white, with only the faintest remains of tiny brown streaks on 

 the lower parts ; but in some examjjles the legs are very distinctly 

 streaked. 



ITab. The continent of Africa south of the Sahara. 



a. Pull. sk. Eiver Gambia. Purchased. 



b, c. Ad. st. River Gambia. Governor Rendall [C.]. 



d. Ad. sk. ^Taite Nile. F. Gallon, Esq. [P.]. 



e. Ad. sk. Tete, Zambesi. Dr. Kirk [C.]. 



/. Ad. sk. Damara Land. C. J. Anderssou, Esq. [C.l. 



g. c? ad. sk. Otjimbinque, Damara Land, C. J. Audersson, Esq. [C.]. 

 Sept. 20th, 1866. 



12. Scops sagittatus. 



Epliialtes sagittatus, Cass. Journ. Ac. Philad. ii. p. 9G, pi. 12 ; id. 



Cat. StrigidcB Phil. 3Im. p. 11 ; Oray, Gen. B. iii. App. p. 30 a. 

 Lempijius sagittatus, Bj^. Rev. vt Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 543. 

 Scops sagittatus, Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 46. 



Adult. Above bay or chestnut-red, of a tolerably uniform cha- 

 racter, the hind neck varied with tiny fulvous spots on the feathers, 

 these spots margined with a narrow blackish bar ; all these mark- 

 ings very indistinct on the hinder crown and occiput, and absent on 

 the top of the crown ; on the hind neck many feathers are yellowish 

 buff, crossed with bars of dusky blackish, the fulvous markings on 

 the interscapulary region being larger and more arrow-shaped, as 

 well as on the scapulars, the outer webs of which are buffy whitish, 

 with distinct blackish spots and markings, the inner web varied 

 with tiny blackish vermiculations ; wing-coverts deep bay, the 



