TUE FLAMMULATED SCREEGII OWLS. 35 



a well dcfincd zono of nifous, ilio Iwo Jirsi moltled and 

 vermiculated with black and gray, the last with black and 

 dark brown ; forchead dull white vermiculated willi 

 black, the feathers with shal't slreaks of same color; a 

 broad terminal area on exterior webs of scapulars tawny 

 ochraceons, this succeeded proximally by a white spol, 

 bounded by the brown or black of the basal portion, 

 wliich color also extends along the shafts to the extremities 

 of the feathers. Tail fuscous, the central rectrices with 8, 

 the lateral with 7 very evident, thongh somewhat inter- 

 rupted bars of bufTy ochraceons, one of which is terminal. 

 Wing-quiils fuscous, crossed by numerous thongh some- 

 times indistinct bars of bulT, deepening to ochraceons on 

 secondaries, these bars terminating on exterior webs of 

 outer primaries in broad spols of white or bulTy ; the wing- 

 coverts, innermost secondaries with exterior webs of the 

 remaindcr, andends of allthe llight feathers, mottled with 

 whitish or buffy, most conspicuously on the innermost 

 secondaries and inner greater coverts ; distal portions of 

 exterior webs of outermost greater coverts white; axillars 

 and undcr wing-coverts bull", mottled with dark brown 

 and ochraceons. Narial vibrissae white, washed with buffy, 

 tipped with dark brown; sides of neck grayish white, 

 finely vermiculated with black; ear tufts inconspicuons, 

 mingled white, black, rufons and ochraceons ; central part 

 of face, including base of auriculars, dnll white, banded 

 with daiiv brown and blackish; feathers immediately 

 surrounding orbits, together with ends of auriculars and 

 a rutf which meets acrossthe throat, ochraceons, deepen- 

 ing in places to rufons, the portion on sides of throal 

 with feathers narrowly black or brown tipped; chin piain 

 buffy white ; remainder of lower parts white, most of the 

 feathers with shaft streaks of black, these broadest on the 

 breast, many of them margined with ochraceons and 

 closely vermiculated with dark brown and black, gratl- 

 ually decreasing posteriorly until on the crissum these 

 cross markings are confined to the distal portions of the 

 feathers, Tarsi buffy white, marked transversely with 



