54 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



versely with dusky, and showing rounded spots of rufous, most conspicuous on the 

 nape ; each feather with a conspicuous medial broad ragged stripe of black, these stripes 

 most conspicuous on the forehead and scapulars; outer webs of scapulars light rufous, 

 bordered terminally with black. Wings of a more grayish cast than the back, but 

 similarly variegated ; lower feathers of the middle and secondary wing-coverts, each 

 with a large oval pale rufous spot, covering most of the lower web. Secondaries crossed 

 by six narrow obscure bands of pale rufous ; primaries with seven somewhat rounded, 

 quadrate spots of the same on the outer webs, forming as many transverse series ; each 

 light spot with a central dusky mottling. Tail more finely and confusedly mottled than 

 the wings ; the bands, though present, are so obsolete as to be scarcely traceable, and so 

 irregular or badly defined as to be of uncertain number. The ear-tufts are black and 

 rusty, the former along the shafts, and in transverse spots ; on the outer webs the black 

 predominates, on the inner the rusty. 



The lores and basal half of the frontal bristles are white, the terminal half abruptly 

 black; eyebrows about equally blackish and paler, the former bordering the feathers; 

 eye surrounded by dark snuff-brown ; cheeks and ear-coverts pale rusty, transversely 

 barred with deeper rusty ; facial circle not well defined, black. Chin and lores only white. 



Ground-color of the lower parts dilute-rusty, becoming white on the flanks ; each 

 feather of the throat, jugulum, breast, sides, and flanks with a broad medial stripe of 

 black, this throwing off" very narrow, rather distant, bars to the edge ; the spaces be- 

 tween these bars are alternately paler and deeper dilute-rusty ; the black marks are 

 broadest on the sides of the breast, where they have an external deep rusty suffusion ; 

 the abdomen medially, and the anal region, are scarcely maculate rusty-white ; the lower 

 tail-coverts have each a central cuneate longitudinal stripe of black. Tibite, tarsi, and 

 lining of the wing, plain deep rusty. Wing-formula, 3 = 4, 5-2, G - 1 = 9. Wing, 

 7.40; tail, 4.00; culmen, .65; tarsus, 1.50; middle toe, .80. 



No. 59,068 (Idaho ; Dr. Whitehead) is considerably darker than the type, the ground- 

 color above approaching to snuff-brown ; it differs, however, in no other respect, as 

 regards coloration ; the size, however (as would be expected), is considerably smaller, 

 measuring as follows; Wing, 6.80; tail, 3.50; culmen, .60; tarsus, 1.20; middle toe, 

 .80. Wing-formula the same as in type. 



Hab. Northwestern coast of North America, from Columbia River, northward ; Idaho 

 (Dr. Whitehead). 



No. 4,5.30 (Washington Territory ; Dr. Geo. Siickley) is just intermediate 

 in all respects between typical keniiicotti and asio, being referrible to either 

 with equal propriety, though perhaps inclining most to the former. 



This well-marked form is, according to recognized laws, properly to be 

 regarded as only an extremely dark northwestern form of Scops asio. There 

 is no deviation from the specific pattern of coloration, the difference being 

 merely in the tints ; while in this it corresponds in every way with other 

 species as modified in the northwest coast region ; the somewhat greater 

 size, too, merely results from its more northern habitat. 



The only characters which we find in kennicotti which cannot be recog- 

 nized in asio are the smaller, more quadrate, and more rufous spots on the 

 primaries, and more obsolete bands on the tail ; but this is merely the con- 

 sequence of the greater extension of the brown markings, thus necessarily 

 contracting the lighter spots. In these respects only does the Washington 

 Territory specimen differ from the two typical examples before us, having 



