liUBONIN^E. • 137 



bars, the Interval between the bars dusky or mottled, and the 

 light spaces, or ground colour, on some of the outer primaries, 

 rusty white in some specimens ; or it may be said that the quills are 

 dusky rufescent, mottled with pale bands; the tail rufescent, with dou- 

 ble bars, in some mottled almost throughout ; beneath, the feathers 

 streaked dark broAvn, and banded with white, and mottled rufous grey 

 and brown, mostly grey on the upper part, and white on the lower part 

 of the abdomen ; tarsal feathers barred and mottled ; disk ashy 

 white, with a few darker specks, and the shafts of the frontal bristles 

 white ; ruff marked with dark brown and rufous. 



In the rufous phase the upper parts are uniform bright golden 

 chestnut red, with black shafts, inconspicuous on the back, more 

 distinct on the forehead, ear plumes, and shoulders of the wings ; 

 outer edge of scapulars whitish ; disk rufous, with some of the 

 feathers white-shafted ; ruff deep brown, with the outer feathers 

 black tipped, or black ; beneath, deeply tinged with the hue of the 

 back, but with more or less white on the belly, and under tail 

 coverts; the breast and sides of the belly with brownish central black 

 streaks, the latter with transverse pencillings ; four faint bars on the 

 inner webs of the tail feathers, and the primaries also indistinctly 

 barred with dusky or mottled brown. The young bird has all the 

 feathers duller red, more black shafted, and there is mucli wliite 

 on the lower surface, and the disk has a good deal of white ; the 

 scapulars are white externally with black tips ; and the bars 

 on the quills and tail feathers are more distinct, brown and 

 mottled. 



Bill dusky greenish ; iris pale golden yellow ; feet fleshy grey. 



Length, 7^ to 8 inches; extent, 18 to 19 ; wing, 5 to 6; tail, 2^ 

 to 3 ; weight, 2^ to 3 oz. 



This little Owl was first considered distinct from Its European 

 representative, S. zorca, and named pennatus by Plodgson. It 

 lias been considered identical by some, and is so put in Blyth's 

 and Horsfield's Catalogues. Kaup, liowcver, keeps it distinct 

 from the European one, and all ornithologists agree in distin- 

 guishing Simla, which is only found in the same localities 

 with the grey one, and must be considered a pliase of plumage of 



s 



