256 Mr. Blyth's Commentary 



75. Ephialtes lempiji. 



Although Prof. Schlegel does not know of this species as In- 

 dian^ it is nevertheless common in Malabar and Ceylon, where it 

 is undistiuguishable from examples from the Malayan subregion. 

 It differs from the series next to be noted by its yellow irides. 



There is a series of three very similar dark-eyed races, of dif- 

 ferent sizes and each having its respective range of distribu- 

 tion. The largest is E. rufitorques, Bonap. (Faun. Japon. 

 Aves, tab. 8, where it is figured with yellow irides, which I 

 suspect is a mistake) : wing 7 to 7*5 inches. The next is 

 jE. lettia, Hodgson, of the Indo-Chinese subregion, spreading 

 westward along the lower regions of the Himalaya : wing 6*5 

 to 7 inches. The third and smallest is E. griseus, Jerdon 

 [E. lettioides, nobis), from the Coromandel or eastern Ghats of 

 the Indian peninsula, where only it has been observed as yet, 

 being replaced in the western or Malabar Ghats and in Ceylon 

 by the golden-eyed E. lempiji : wing 5*5 to 6 inches only. 

 I believe that all of these will have to be eventually recognized 

 as specific races, as also E. rufescens (Horsf.) {E. mantis, 

 S. Miiller) from Sumatra, Java, and Borneo — and a much larger 

 species which is otherwise very like it, E. sagittatus, Cassiu 

 (Journ. Acad. Phil. ii. pi. 12), of which I have seen several 

 specimens not differing in colour, all of them from the Malayan 

 peninsula. This fine Scops-Owl bears just that relationship to 

 E. rufescens which E. rufitorques does to E. griseus {E. let- 

 tioides); and I should long ago have named it had I not been 

 under the impression that it was the true rufescens of Hors- 

 field^. 



* I have looked over Mr. Wallace's collection of Scops-Owls (obtained by 

 himself) and found no difficulty in resolving them into six species, viz. : — 



(1.) K sylvicolits (Wallace). Flores. The largest of them, a young 

 specimen having the closed wing 8"5 inches. 



(2.) E. magicus (Miiller) ; E. leucospila, G. R. Gray. From the Mo- 

 luccas. Since identifying these, I have found that Prof. Schlegel has 

 likewise done the same. 



(3.) E. menadensis (Quoy & Gaim.). From Celebes and Flores. 



(4.) E. lempiji, Horsfield (Strix nocfula, Reinw. & Temm.). Malayan 

 subregion, Ceylon, and Malabar. 



(5.) E. rufescens, Horsf. (Oizis mantis, Miiller). Sumatra, Java, Borneo. 



(6.) E. malaynmis (A. Hay). Mal.ayan peninsula. 



