172 MOTTLED OWL. 
the sides of the neck lighter coloured, but with similar markings. 
The chin has the feathers half white on the lower portion, 
the upper covered with lght brown pointed spots; the throat 
similarly marked but gradually darker; the feathers of the 
breast have broad chocolate-coloured longitudinal patches, 
crossed with narrow stripes of the same colour. The back on 
its upper part has chocolate-coloured central stripes on the 
feathers, with alternate transverse light brown and dark brown 
bars; on the lower part it is similarly marked but without 
the longitudinal and central chocolate-coloured stripes. 
The wings have the second quill longer than the first, the 
third than the second, and the fourth than the third. The 
greater wing coverts have longitudinal and central chocolate- 
coloured stripes, the lower portions of the outer webs being 
white, the inner webs light brown; lesser wing coverts marked 
in the same way, shewing a longitudinal white stripe when the 
feathers are naturally arranged. Of the primaries, the first 
has five white bars on the outer web, and three on the inner. 
It is beautifully pectinated on its outer web for the space 
of half an inch from the tip; the mner web abruptly notched 
for an inch and a half. There are on the outer web seven 
yellowish white patches turned from the margin towards the 
shaft, and four rather light-coloured yellow bars on the imner 
web, running obliquely, the last bar being somewhat indistinct; 
the second feather is pectinated on the outer web for the 
length of a little over an inch, commencing at about the 
same distance from the tip, and on this web there are eight 
rather light yellow patches; on the inner web is an abrupt 
notch nearly an inch and a half from the tip, and three 
distinct and three indistinct bars. The third feather begins 
to be slightly pectinated at not quite an inch and a half 
from the tip, and extends for only half an inch upwards on 
its outer web, on which are seven rather lght yellow bars; 
on the inner web, and on its upper portion, are three 
similarly-coloured bars, and on the lower part four indistinct 
ones. The fourth feather in place of being pectinated is 
slightly hollowed; on it are eight rather light yellow bars, 
and on the inner web are four distinct and four indistinct 
bars. The five first quill feathers have a delicately-formed 
fringe on the margin of their inner web, opposite the 
pectinated portion of the outer web. Greater under wing 
coverts, white on the upper portion, ash-coloured on the 
lower; lesser under wing coverts, yellowish, with ash-coloured 
