316 African Zoology. 
Otus Capensis, Smith. Above brown, finely freckled or 
marked with pale tawny, undulated lines and the shoulders 
variegated with some large tawny blotches ; face tawny-white, 
mixed with black near the eyes ; egrets small, brown variegated 
with tawny ; cervical collar dark brown, spotted with fulvous in 
front of neck. Anterior part of breast nearly an uniform brown, 
rest of breast and belly finely mottled brown and white, the 
colours principally disposed in zig-zag transverse lines and bars, 
and in some specimens the shafts are deep brown ; vent and tail 
coverts tawny-white. Primary wing feathers pale fulvous, 
irregularly barred with brown, and the points entirely brown; 
secondaries brown with partial fulvous bands, the tips tawny 
white, more or less mottled with brown. Tail slightly rounded, 
the two centre feathers brown, with four tawny bars, the distal 
one broken and indistinct, the outer feathers tawny white with 
three brown bars, the extremities of all the feathers nearly 
pure white. Legs tawny white; bill and claws black. Length 
fourteen inches. 
Inhabits South Africa,—in marshy situations. 
Marsh Owl of the Cape Colonists. 
Otus Madagascariensis, Smith. Above blackish brown, each 
feather with a tawny blotch on each vane, producing a mottled 
appearance ; scapulars blotched, banded or undulated with 
tawny. Wing feathers dull brown, with tawny bars, many of 
them brownish towards their centres. Egrets black-brown, 
some of the feathers blotched on both vanes with tawny, others 
only on outer vanes ; cheeks tawny-brown ; shafts and points of 
feathers black; rostral feathers black and white. Throat 
crossed by an obscure white crescent, and below that an in- 
distinct collaret which extends on each side of the neck nearly 
to the egrets, and is mottled black-brown and tawny-white. 
Under parts tawny with longitudinal brown blotches, largest on 
the breast. Legs tawny rufous with a few brown variegations. 
Tail dark brown, with four or five light brown bands margined 
with tawny. Bill bluish black ; claws black. Length fifteen 
inches. 
Inhabits Madagascar. 
Obs. This species stands close to Otus brachyotos, but differs from it 
particularly in the want of white spots on the upper parts, and in the 
distribution of the colours of the collaret and hinder parts of the belly. 
Genus Srrix. Savigny. 
Bill straight at base. curved towards tip; ear opening ample 
with a large operculum ; the circle of setaceous feathers of face 
much developed; no egrets ; tarsi feathered ; toes covered with 
hairs. 
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