112 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



as many transverse series ; each light spot with a central dusky mot- 

 tling. Tail more finely and confusedly mottled than the wings ; the 

 bands, though present, so indistinct as to be scarcely traceable, and so 

 irregular or badly defined as to be of uncertain number. Ear-tufts black 

 and rusty, the former along the shafts, and in transverse spots ; on the 

 outer webs the black predominating, on the inner, the rusty. 



Lores and basal half of the frontal bristles white, the terminal half 

 abruptly black ; eyebrows about equally blackish and paler, the former 

 bordering the feathers; eye surrounded by dark snuff-brown; cheeks 

 and ear-coverts pale rusty, transversely barred with deeper rusty ; 

 facial circle not well defined, black. Chin and lores only white. 



Ground-color of the lower parts dilute-rusty, becoming white on the 

 fianks; each feather of the throat, jugulum, breast, sides, and flanks 

 with a broad mesial stripe of black, this throwing off very narrow, 

 rather distant, bars to the edge; the spaces between these bars alter- 

 nately paler and deeper dilute-rusty ; the black marks broadest on the 

 sides of the breast, where they have an external deep rusty suffusion ; 

 the abdomen medially and the anal region scarcely maculate rusty- 

 white ; the lower tail-coverts each with a central, cuneate, longitudinal 

 stripe of black. Tibiae, tarsi, and lining of the wing plain deep rusty. 

 Wing-formula, 3 = 4, 5-2, 6-1 = 9. Wing, 7.40; tail, 4.00; culmen, 

 .65 ; tarsus, 1.50 ; middle toe, .80. 



No. 59,068 (Idaho ; Dr. Whitehead), is considerably darker than the 

 type, the groundcolor above approaching snuff brown; it differs, 

 however, in no other respect as regards coloration ; the size (as might 

 be expected) is considerably smaller, measurements being as follows: 

 Wing, 0.80; tail, 3.50; culmen, .60; tarsus, 1.20; middle foe, .80. 

 Wing-formula the same as in type. 



No. 4,530 (Washington Territory; Dr. Geo. Suckley) is just interme- 

 diate, in all respects, between typical IcennicoUi and asio, being refer- 

 able to either with equal propriety, though perhaps inclining rather 

 more to the former. 



A very obvious character of this race is the smaller size, more quad- 

 rate form, and more rufous color, of the spots on the primaries, and the 

 greater indistinctness of the bands on the tail ; but this is merely in 

 consequence of the greater extension of the brown markings, thus 

 necessarily contracting the lighter si)ots. In these respects only, does 

 the Washington Territory specimen differ from the two typical examples 

 before me, having the larger, more whitish spots on the primaries, and 

 more distinct bands on the tail, as in asio. 



There is a wonderfully close resemblance in general aspect between 

 this form of Scops asio and S. semitorques (Schleg.) of Japan, caused by 

 the exceeding similarity in size, form, and coloration, both as regards 

 tints and pattern. Indeed, the only very obvious difference consists 

 in the distinctly white jugulum and well-defined lighter occipital and 

 nuchal collars of semitorques, which has also the pencillings of the 



