1 1, xixox. 157 



Ninox Ixirneensis, Bp. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 543 ; Walden, 



His, 1872, p. 18; Salvarl. Ucc. Born. p. 18. 

 Noctua hirsuta japonica, Schl. Mus. P.-B. Strides, p. 24. 

 Noctua liii-suta borneensis, Schl. t. c. p. 24. 

 Athene Horensis, Wall. P. Z. S. 1863, p. 488 ; id. Ihis, 1868, p. 23 ; 



Oriiy, ILiiid-l. B. i. p. 41. 

 Noctua birsuta minor, Schl. Mus. P.-B. Revue Accipitr. p. 2o. 



Adult (type of Athene malaccensis*). Above deep chocolate-brown, 

 the head slighth- darker, the scapulars with concealed white bars ; 

 ■wing-coverts exactly like the back and equally unifonn, the pri- 

 mary-coverts blackish, quills dark brown, slightly washed externally 

 with ochre, the primaries inclining to rufous ochre towards their 

 tips, all the wing-feathers nearly uniform, with no lighter cross 

 bands, the inner secondaries barred -with white, but these bars 

 entirely concealed ; upper tail-coverts uniform chocolate-brown Kke 

 the back ; tail-feathers ashy brown, rather paler at tips, and crossed 

 ■with five blackish bands (one basal and concealed) ; sides of face 

 chocolate-brown, as also the sides of the neck, the latter slightly 

 washed with rufous ; forehead and lores whitish, the latter obscured 

 by blackish shaft-lines ; chin whitish, slightly streaked with brown ; 

 rest of under surface rufous chocolate, the throat washed with ])uff, 

 the breast varied with white, generally as if streaked, the margins 

 to the feathers being whitish ; on the abdomen the white predomi- 

 nating and cutting across the feather, so as to form an oval spot of 

 brown at the tips of the abdominal plumes, leg-feathers brown ; 

 under taU-coverts whitish ; under wing-covcrts rufous chocolate, 

 the inner feathers washed and barred with ochraceous buff, the edge 

 of the wing whitish ; the greater series sepia-brown, nearly uniform, 

 excepting for a few ochi-aceous bars near the base, thus resembling 

 the inner lining of the wing, which is sepia-brown, with a few 

 ochraceous bars near the base of the quills. Total length 12-5 

 inches, wing 8-4, tail 4-8, tarsus 1-1. 



Ohs. In the Transactions of the Zoological Society (viii. p. 40) 

 Lord Walden has already clearly shown the confusion which reigns 

 with regard to the various species of Nino.v, thereby induciug me 

 to paj- particular attention to this subject. I have examined the 

 series of specimens in the Norwich Museiim (to the authorities of 

 which I return my best acknowledgments) and in the collection of 

 Mr. Swinhoe ; and I think that I cannot do better than place before 

 my readers the results of my studies of the bu'ds from different 

 localities. 



India. The Museum contains a tolerable series from the Hima- 

 layas, the measurements being as follows: — 



* This bird is described as being most probably the same as the typical 

 Sumatran N. scutulata (Raffl.). 



