4. SCOPS. 117 



Subsp. a. Scops kennicotti. 



Scops kennicotti, Elliott, Pr. Pliilad. Acad. 18(57, p. (JO; id. B. N. 



Am. pi. xxvii. ; Biiird, Tr. Cliicai/o Acad. i. p. .311, pi. xxvii. ; 



Dull ^- liunn. t. c. p. 27:5 ; Gra;/, Hund-l. B. i. p. 47. 

 Scops asio, Lord, Naturalid in Va/tc. Id. ii. p. 292. 

 Scops asio, var. keunicotti, Ridy^v. B. N. Am. iii. p. 5-j ; Coues, B. 



N. W. p. 303. 



Adult. Above brown, generally of an earthy tint, aU the feathers 

 centred and barred with black, with very faint dusky vermicula- 

 tions, on the occiput a few feathers barred with sandy buff, forming- 

 a tolerably distinct band, another on the nape more pronounced, and 

 on the hind neck a third very much plainer one, the feathers di- 

 stinctly barred with sandy buff, extending on to the sides of the 

 neck, where they arc very broad ; outer web of scapulars yellowish 

 buff, tipped with black, the greater wing-coverts also terminally 

 spotted with buff, the rest of the wing-coverts coloured like the 

 back, but the black centres rather broader ; primary-coverts dusky 

 brown, barred with nifous buff; quills dark bro\vn, barred with 

 sandy brown on the inner webs, paler and clearer fulvous on the 

 outer webs, giving a strongly chequered appearance to the wing ; 

 tail dark brown, with about eight narrow bars of sandy buff ; lores 

 and plumes over the fore part of the eye greyish white, slightly 

 tipped with brown ; sides of face greyish white, washed with rufous 

 below the eye, and regularly barred vrith dull browTi, the hinder- 

 most of the ear-coverts tipped with black, merging in the facial 

 ruff, which is composed of sandy-buff plumes mesially streaked and 

 tipped with black, the gular feathers very broadly streaked with 

 black, with lateral narrow bars of black ; chin whitish, as well as 

 a few feathers on the fore neck ; rest of under surface white, washed 

 with ochre on the breast and flanks, the sides of the chest more 

 dusky than the rest of the lower parts, most of the feathers crossed 

 with wavy lines of dark brown, and broadly centred with black, 

 these mesial streaks less distinct on the breast and flanks ; under 

 tail-coverts huffy white, with a few indications of rufous or brown 

 bars near the tip ; under wing-coverts ochraceous buff, thickly 

 mottled with brown near the outer edge of the wing, which is white, 

 the lower series ashy brown, yellowish at base, and resembling the 

 inner lining of the wings, which are ashy brown below, barred with 

 sandy buff on the inner web. Total length 10 inches, wing 6-8o, 

 tail '3-5, tarsus I'o. 



Ohs. This is a dark brown form of S. asio, with no rufous phase 

 at all ; moreover it is larger than the typical »S'. asio. Full par- 

 ticulars will be found in Mr. Kidgway's work (B. N. A. iii. p. 53), 

 where the whole subject is treated in a more exhaustive manner 

 than the limits of the present volume will allow. 



The specimen described by me is very brown in coloration, and 

 seems to represent the j'ufous phase of S. asio ; for other examples 

 are decidedlj' greyer above and whiter below. Such a specimen 

 from liritish Columbia {Lord) measures as foUows : — Total length 

 10-5 inches, wing 7-(», tail 4-5, tarsus 1'8. 



