318 African Zoology. 
sides of neck dark brown, mottled with fulvous, the latter in 
large spots upon both vanes; back and shoulders blackish 
brown dashed with fulvous or tawny-white. Wing feathers 
black-brown with tawny bands, the latter often brown in the 
middle, particularly on the secondaries. Facial disc principally 
pale tawny-brown, at inner angles of eyes white; the rostral 
feathers tipt with black ; cervical collar blackish, mottled with 
white at the throat, towards extremities brown; chin, and a 
large crescent in front of breast, white ; breast and belly black- 
ish brown, variegated freely with large transverse tawny 
blotches, which, towards the thighs, exhibit a whitish tint ; legs 
rufous-white with smal! brown blotches ; toes rufous-white, 
without variegatious. Tail slightly rounded, the outermost 
feathers of each side banded black-brown and tawny-white, the 
bands of the latter colour brown in the middle, the centre 
feathers blackish brown with tawny bands, dusky in the middle; 
tips of all the feathers tawny-white, finely mottled with brown. 
Bill black ; eyes yellow; claws light horn-coloured, darkest 
towards points. Length twenty-two inches. 
Inhabits South Africa. 
Obe. This bird I am convinced is distinct from the Bubo Europeus. 
Adult specimens are said to be marked nearly as the young ones. 
Orper INSESSORES. Vigors. 
Bill various ; legs short or moderate ; tarsi usually clothed 
with feathers; toes flat beneath; claws slender, moveable, 
somewhat retractile. curved and acute. 
Trizs FISSIROSTRES. 
Bill broad at the base, gape very wide ; legs short. 
Fam. MEROPIDA. 
Genus Merops. 
Bill longer than the head, curved, rounded, slightly compressed 
on the sides, and pointed; nostrils lateral, rounded or in the 
form of a longitudinal fissure. Wings long and pointed, first 
or third quill the longest. Tail long, even, graduated or forked, 
often the two middle feathers longer than the others and termi- 
nating in narrow points. Tarsi short, slender, and scutellated. 
[106] 
