314 African Zoology. 
with white, or an irregular mixture of brown rufous and white, 
the vent and under tail coverts, in some, nearly pure white. 
Tail dark brown, crossed by five or six rows of white spots, the 
last. row at the tips of the feathers. Bill yellowish; claws a 
dark horn-colour. Length seven inches. 
Tnhabits Southern Africa and Senegal. 
Le Perlée Levaill, pl. 284. Strix perlata, Vieillet. 
Genus Scors. Suvigny. 
Head with lateral egrets ; facial dise incomplete or indistinctly. 
formed ; tarsi feathered to the toes ; tail short. 
Scops Europeus. Above brown, finely variegated with white, 
erey-white, and tawny white bars or spots, and with black 
longitudinal stripes ; sides of head from bill to egret white, the 
feathers crossed with delicate black lines ; egrets brown, finely 
marked with black and white variegations; rostral feathers 
long and rigid, white towards bases, the points black ; cervical 
collar brown-black and white, most distinct on sides of neck ; 
outermost scapulars with large tawny-white spots. Wing 
feathers blackish brown, outer vanes barred with white, inner 
vanes towards margins marked with a series of rufous spots. 
Under parts grey-white clouded with tawny, variegated with 
fine black undulated bars and longitudinal black blotches and 
stripes. Tail tawny-white, finely and closely barred with brown 
or black, some of the bars of the latter colour being longer 
than others give the appearance of narrow irregular black 
bands ; tips of feathers tawny. Legs pale tawny more or less 
pointed with brown. Eyes, toes and base of bill yellow; tip of 
bill and claws black. Length seven inches. 
Inhabits South Africa, Senegal, and Europe. 
Strix Scops, Linn. Le Scops or Petit-Duc, Buff. Scops- 
eared Owl, Lath. Orn. 
Obs. Most Ornithologists regard the Owl above described as identical 
with the little-eared Owl of Europe, yet Iam much disposed to consider 
it as distinct. Its colours are much darker and differently disposed, 
and in themselves, even different on the inner vanes of wing feathers : 
I am the more inclined to this opinion, as I have now before me a speci- 
men from Senegal, which exactly corresponds with the Huropean Scops. 
The colours of the South African bird being constantly different, it 
may perhaps be designated as the Scops Capensis, and that of Senegal 
as the Scops Europeus. 
Genus Orus. Cuvier. 
Ear opening very large, extending from the bill to nearly the 
top of the head, with a membraneous operculum in front ; head 
with egrets erectile at the pleasure of the bird; bill long, com- 
Te and curved from the base; tarsi feathered to the toes. 
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