452 Mr. J. H. Gurney on the Birds-of-prey 



22. Strix flammea, Linnaeus. Barn-Owl. 

 Madagascar specimens of this bird are, like those of South 



and West Africa — though not perhaps to the same extent, more 

 spotted on the lower surface of the body and wings than is the 

 ease with European examples. This difference has caused the 

 South- and West- African race to be described as specifically dis- 

 tinct, and to receive the name of S.poensis, Eraser. The Euro- 

 pean, Madagascar, and South-African races appear to me to be 

 hardly separable, and I think they may all three be correctly in- 

 cluded under the name of S. flummea^. 



23, Scops rutilus, Pucheran. Madagascar Scops-Owl. 

 MM. Schlegel and Pollen {op. cit. pp.48, 49) well remark that 



this bird exhibits two distinct liveries, a rufous and a grey, 

 from the former of which Dr. Pucheran derived the specific name 

 he applied to it (Rev. Zool. ]849, p. 29; Arch. Mus. iv. p. 326, 

 pi. xxii.) ; but they also identify it with S. menadensis, Quoy and 

 Gaimard, of Celebes, from which indeed it seems to differ only 

 in its somewhat larger size ; and whether this is sufficient ground 

 for specific distinction in the present instance may perhaps be 

 considered somewhat doubtful. 



I have had the opportunity of examining specimens of both 

 f >rms in the Museum of the Jardin des Plantes, and find that/owr 

 examples in that collection from Celebes vary from 5 5 to 6 inches 

 in the length of the wing, measured from the carpal joint to the 

 tip of the longest primary, and in the tarsus from 1 to 1"15 inch, 

 while ^w Madagascar specimens in the same collection vary in 

 the wing from 6 to 6*8 inches, and in the tarsus from 1*25 to 

 1"5 inch. 



I therefore think that S. rutilus of Madagascar is in fact only 

 a larger local race of S. menadensis, but that, as such, it may 

 be conveniently and legitimately distinguished. The Scops ma- 

 dagascariensis of M. Grandidier (Rev. Zool. 1867, pp. 85, 86) 



* [The breeding-liabits of the Madagascar Strix differ considerably from 

 those of the European bird, as may be seen by INIr. Caldwell's observations 

 (Ibis, 1863, pp. 339, 340) ; and its eggs are very decidedly larger, the average 

 of a dozen examples measuring 1-765 in. by 1"311 in., whilst that of a 

 series of seventeen British Barn-Owl's eggs is only 1'022 in. by 1-223 

 in. — Ed.1 



