LITTLE OR PASSERINE HAWK-OWL. 361 



third quill longest, the fourth scarcely shorter, tlie se- 

 cond longer than the fifth, the first shorter than the 

 sixth. The secondary quills are broad and rounded. 

 The tail is short, nearly even, of twelve broad, decurv- 

 ed, rounded feathers. 



The bill is greyish, its ridge and tip greyish-yellow. 

 (The iris is said by authors to be yellow.^ The claws 

 are yellowish-brown, their tips dusky. The general 

 colour of the upper parts is wood-brown. The fea- 

 thers of the head have an oblong white central mark, 

 and as they are small, that part is marked with nume- 

 rous .spots. On the hind neck the white spots are very 

 large. On the back and scapulars, most of the feathers 

 have two roundish spots ; the wing-coverts one. All 

 the quills have marginal whitish spots on both webs, 

 those on the inner much larger. The tail is similarly 

 marked, Avith four series. On the anterior part of the 

 disk the feathers are whitish, with black sliafts, on the 

 lower part whitish tipped with brown, on the hind part 

 brown tipped with white. A broad band of white 

 crosses the throat and curves upwards on either side to 

 the ear. There is also a large patch of white on the 

 lower part (»f the fore neck. The general colour of the 

 lower parts is yellowish-white, eacli feather with a 

 broad longitudinal band of brown ; the abdomen and 

 lower tail-coverts unspotted ; the tarsal feathers yel- 

 lowish, with a few dusky spots externally. The base 

 of the plumage is dark bluish-grey. 



Length to end of tail lOJ inches, to end of wings 

 10 ; extent of wings 20, wing from flexure 6^ ; tail 3 ; 

 bill along the ridge }^, along the edge of lower mandi- 

 ble j^^ ; tarsus 1^ ; first toe /^, its claw ^^^ ; second toe 



n h 



