156 Frederick D. Welch — Voices of some Owls


Dr. Bowdler Sharpe (P.Z.S., 1887, p. 477), omitting unnecessary

words.


Male, from Ootacamund ; pale brown, chest barred like rest of

under-surface ; face uniform deep ocbreous buff, with scarcely any

white posterior line between ear-coverts and ruff ; wing, 12 - 8 in.'


Female, same locality ; similar to male, but with a little fringe of

white behind the ear-coverts, which are uniform ochreous buff ;

wing, 13 in.


Female, same locality ; very pale below, chest narrowly barred with

brown, like rest of underparts ; face deep ochreous, with scarcely

any indication of dusky cross-barring.


Female, from Nilghiris ; very pale below, with whitish cross-bars ;

face deep ochre, barred across with blackish ; wing, 139 in.


Female (?), South Indian ; very tawny, face deep ochreous buff-

rufous near eye ; scarcely any sign of white or frill of ear-coverts ;

wing, 136 in.


Female (?), Ceylon ; dark bird, chest barred like rest of under,

surface ; face deep ochreous buff, with evident traces of dusky cross-

bars ; wing, 132 in.


Another Ceylon specimen, a darker bird, chest coarsely barred with

dark brown, somewhat uniform on sides ; face deep rufous ochre,

slight indication of white on lower part near frill ; wing, 12 5 in.

(probably male).


Another Ceylon bird, strongly tinged with ochreous below ; face

bright orange rufous, scarcely any white on lower margin ; no sign of

cross-barring on face ; wing, IT 9 in. (probably a male).


When we consider that Owls roam from place to place it seems to

me there is no doubt that S. indranee varies in the same locality in both

sexes. Two specimens of the Ural Owl (Syrnium uralense) of north and

east Europe and Siberia, a large species about 25 in. long, varied in

general colour ; one a pale bird, with darker streaks on head, breast,

and abdomen ; the other being a blackish coloration with darker

marks showing through. Both uttered at times a bleat like a goat,

and were living in same cage. Is this species of dimorphic coloration

at times (analogous to what occurs in some mammals) a double-normal

coloration \ Or was the above an abnormal melanistic specimen ?



