Birds. 315 
Oius ascalaphus. Egrets or horns rudimentary and slender ; 
setaceous feathers of the cheeks directed upwards and very 
short above the eyes, and assist in giving a flattened appear- 
ance to the forehead and top of the head; beak black; body, 
wings, and tail, whitish red varied with different shades; the 
whole body spotted and striped with brown-black, the spots 
lanceolate on the head and nape, confluent on the ears; the 
quills and tail feathers with broad bands and narrow zigzag 
brown stripes ; breast dashed with the same; the rest of the 
under part with fine transverse stripes. Under surface of tail 
white, with five or six narrow dusky transverse bands; throat 
and middle of breast white ; tarsi long, and as well as the toes 
covered with whitish feathers. Length about eighteen inches. 
Inhabits Egypt. 
Strix Ascalaphus, Savig. Egypt. Temm. pl. col. 57. 
Otus leucotis. Egrets placed above the eyes, long and point- 
ed, which, with the feathers of the head and nape, are dull 
white varied with reddish zigzag lines, and a longitudinal black 
stripe in the direction of the shafts, the tip of each feather is 
black; face and cheeks white with a rufous tinge under the 
eyes and a broad black band behind, extending to the egrets ; 
edges of wings and large coverts white, upper and under parts 
of body light rufous, variegated with black and vermiculated 
with brown ; quills and tail feathers ashy, delicately marked 
with brownish zigzag lines and broad transverse stripes ; vent 
white, with brown stripes. Billa whitish horn-colour, andnearly 
covered by pure white bristles. Length six inches. 
Inhabits Senegal. 
Strix leucotis, Temm. pl. col. 16. 
Otus maculosus. Above brown or black-brown; the upper 
parts of head, neck, and interscapulars, irregularly spotted with 
white or tawny-white; the back, scapulars, and shoulders, 
mottled with white or tawny-white undulated bars or blotches. 
Face grey, the feathers crossed by black bars ; egrets brown, 
spotted with white; chin white; cervical collar dark brown, 
mottled with white in front of neck ; in front of breast a large 
white crescent. Breast and flanks white, barred with brown and 
blotched with black ; belly and legs tawny or pure white, more 
regularly barred with narrow brown lines. Tail slightly 
rounded, two centre feathers brown with four or five irregular 
tawny-white bars; lateral feathers brown with the transverse 
tawny bars more distinct. Eyes fine yellow; bill and claws 
black. Length eighteen inches. 
Inhabits South Africa,—common. 
Strix maculosus, Vieill. Gal. pl. 28. Strix Africanus, Tem. 
pl. 56. 
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