13. GLAUCIDIUM. 211 



near the tips of the middle ones ; under wing-coverts ochraceous 

 buff, here and there marked with dark bro^\Ti, the greater series 

 dark brown at tip, thus resembling the lining of the quills, which 

 have the inner web ochraceous near the base ; small coverts round 

 the bend of the wing white ; bill yellow ; iris yellow. Total length 

 7 inches, wing 4'15, tail 3'2, tarsus 0-95. 



Adult female. Similar to the male. Total length 8 inches, wing 

 4-4, tail 3-2, tarsus 1 . 



Younrj. Xothing is as yet precisely known regarrling the young 

 plumage of this Owl ; but I fancy that the more spotted birds are 

 the oldest, although it is almost impossible to say, as in some spe- 

 cimens the spots and bars are about equally distributed. 



Two Abyssinian specimens, collected by Captain Sturt during the 

 British expedition, have more of an orange-buff shade ou the head 

 than those from Southern Africa, and they appear to have about 

 one row of spots more on the tail. At present, however, my ma- 

 terial is not extensive enough to separate them specifically. The 

 Gambian specimen agrees best with the Abyssinian. 



Hah. The whole of Africa south of the Sahara, excepting the 

 forest regions of the west and east coasts. 



a. Ad. St. South Africa. Earl of Derbv [P.]- 



b. $ ad. sk. Griqua Laud, Mav 1871 R. B. Sharpe, Esq. [P.]. 



(T. C. Atmore). 



c. S ad sk. Griqua Land, Mav 1871 T. C. Atmore, Esq. [C.]. 



{T. C. Atmore). 



d. Ad. sk. Tette, Zambesi. ' Dr. Kirk [C.l. 



e. Ad. sk. Tette, Zambesi. Dr. Kirk [C.J. 



/. c? ad. sk. Tatti, :Matabili. T. E. Buckley, Esq. [PA 



(/,k,i,k. Ad.sk. Damara Land. C. J. Aiidersson, Esq. [C.]. 



/. Ad. St. River Gambia. Piu-chased. 



11. Glaucidium tephronotum. (Plate XIII. fig. 2.) 



Glaucidium tephronotum, Sharpe, Ibis, 187-5, p. 2G0. 



Adult. Above duU bluish grey, the upper surface almost entirely 

 uniform, with the exception of several white spots at the base of 

 the feathers on the hind neck ; wing-coverts rather blacker than 

 the back ; quills brown, the secondaries grepsh brown, much duller 

 than the back ; tail black, with three large notches of white on the 

 inner webs of all the feathers, the centre ones with foiu' ovate white 

 spots, the subterminal oue very small, also confined to the inner 

 web ; lores and an ill-defined eyebrow whitish, the bristles overhang- 

 ing the former black ; ear-coverts dull greyish brown ; cheeks 

 whitish, inclining to brown on the hinder parts ; chin white ; tmder 

 surface of body white, the breast and sides vinous chestnut, all the 

 plumes in the centre of the lower breast and abdomen dark brown, 

 causing a distinctly streaked appearance ; under tail-coverts white ; 

 leg-feathers rich ochi'e ; under wing-coverts vinous chestnut, 

 streaked ^\-ith brown, the innermost ones and the axillaries yellowish, 

 the edge of the Aviug white, the lower coverts ashy brown, yellowish 



p2 



