2[i6 liriio^iD-E. 



clouded with dark brown centres to tlie feathers, rather narrower 

 on the lower breast, abdomen, and flanks, these having a distinctly 

 striped appearance ; under wing-coverts light ochraceous buff, with 

 a few narrow brown shaft-streaks, the lower series dark brown, with 

 ochraceous base, forming a bar across the inner side of the wing. 



Adult male. General colour above pale ochraceous buff, deeper on 

 the centre of the back, the centres of the feathers longitudinally 

 dark brown, producing a broadly streaked appearance, the scapulars 

 much paler on their outer margins, the brown markings more 

 irregidar and branching into bars, so that the interspaces represent 

 large ovate spots of whitish buff; wing-coverts rather darker than 

 the back and more of a reddish ochre, the central markings to the 

 feathers dark brown as on the back, but more irregular and forming 

 bars, on the median and greater series more confined to the inner 

 web, the outer ones having verj' largo and distinct ovate whitish 

 spots, which are very conspicuous on the wing ; primary-coverts 

 dark brown, with a few rufous ochre spots, principally near the 

 base ; quiUs rufous ochre, with a whitish tip, inclining also to ful- 

 vous near the base of the outer primaries, all the feathers very 

 plainly chequered with dark brown bars, which are much narrower 

 on the inner webs ; upper tail-coverts nearly uniform ochraceous, 

 shaded slightly with brown near the tips ; tail-feathers ochraceous, 

 tipped with whitish and crossed with seven brown continuous bars 

 on the centre feathers, only five in number on the outer ones, where 

 the bars are much narrower and disappear near the base ; frontal 

 plumes dark brown, narrowly margined with ochraceous ; ruff 

 whitish, slightly washed with ochre, and minutely speckled with 

 triangular spots of brown ; facial aspect duU white, the lores shaded 

 with brown, the ear-coverts with narrow blackish shaft-lines, aU 

 the feathers round the eye black ; ear-tufts 0-5 inch long, resembling 

 the feathers of the crown ; chin whitish ; the ruff below, extending 

 upwards behind the ear-coverts, ochraceous, mottled with dark brown 

 centres to the feathers ; rest of under surface buffy white, washed 

 with golden buff on the breast and sides, the breast-feathers streaked 

 with brown down the centre, these streaks narrowing into linear 

 shaft-lines on the lower breast and abdomen, and disappearing 

 entirely on the legs and under tail-coverts ; under wing-coverts 

 white, very faintly tinged with ochre, the outer greater coverts 

 blackish, forming the characteristic spot, the rest of the wing-lining 

 whitish ; the secondaries with obsolete brownish bars, which are 

 nearly absent on the primaries, these being blackish on tips and 

 only slightly barred with ochraceous, the outer feathers having a 

 blackish mark about halfway up. Total length 14 inches, wing 

 12-4, tail 6*5, tarsus 1-75. 



Adult female . Of the same general appearance and markings as 

 the male, but always much deeper in colour, the under surface being 

 of a rich ochre ; bands on tail six on the middle and four or five 

 on the outer feathers. Total length 15-5 inches, wing 12-5, tail 6-7, 

 tarsus 1-85. 



Ohx. From the examination of a large series of 8hort-eared Owls, 



