1878.] THE ISLAND OF MINDANAO (S.W.). 031 



11. NiNOX SPILOCEPHALA, sp. n. 



[Zamboanga, c? , March : iris golden ; bill greenish leaden ; feet pale yellow. 2 , April : 

 iris golden ; bill greenish lead, tinged yellow on culmen and tip ; feet wax-yellow. ? , April : 

 iris light greenish yellow.] 



Were it not that the large series of examples sent by Mr. Everett (six males and thirteen p.z.S.1878, 

 females) all agree in having spotted heads, I should not have ventured to separate the Zamboanga P' ^'^^' 

 species from Hi. pMlippinensis of Luzon. Every variety of markings and colorations is exhibited 

 in this series, from dark brown to tawny-rufous brown above, and stripes and spots of the same 

 colours below; but all the nineteen examples have the frontal and coronal feathers brown, 

 spotted with rufous — in some bright rufous, in others pale tawny rufous. Some have the whole 

 under plumage, from throat to vent dark-centred ; others have the breast almost uniform rich 

 rufous, without pale margins, and with a subterminal brown transverse narrow band. 



Every specimen has its sex noted on its label ; and the length of the wing in the six birds 

 marked c? is greater than in those marked ? . The wing of the six males ranges in length from 

 6'50 to 7"0, of the thirteen females from 6'25 to 6'50. Two Luzon males have the wings 6-37 

 and 5"25. Mr. Sharpe (Cat. ii. p. 168) states 2 inches as the length of the tarsus of an example 

 of N. Philippine nsis in the British Museum; none of these Zamboanga birds has the tarsus longer 

 than 1-12. 



12. NiNOX LUGDBKIS. 



Strix luguhris, Tickell, J. A. S. B. ii. p. 573. 



[Zamboanga. a. $ , March : iris golden ; bill blackish ; cere, culmen, and mandible 

 greenish yellow ; feet dark chrome-yellow ; claws black, h. ? , April : iris deep brown ; bill 

 greenish ; feet chrome-yellow.] 

 Dimensions : — 



Wing. Tarsus. Culmen. Tail.; 



in. in. in. in. 



a 8-30 1-12 0-62 4-75 



h 8-14 1-12 imperfect. 4-82 



Six caudal bands. First two primaries without bars. The wings of a ruddy hue. The outer 

 webs of most of the primaries rusty-red. 



The remarks Mr. Gurney has been good enough to favour me with about this Zamboanga 

 race of Muox luguhris are as follows : — " I think the outer webs of the primaries unusually rufous. 

 We have only one similar specimen, which is from Formosa and is described in Sharpe's volume 

 (Catalogue, ii. p. 161); and with this specimen the Zamboanga bird seems to me to agree 

 generally. If N. japonicck be admitted as distinct from N. lugubris (though I doubt whether it 

 ought to be), the Zamboanga specimen, I think, ought to be referred to N.japonica:' 



Mr. Sharpe has suggested {t. c. p. 166) that the large Japanese and North-China form is 

 migratory. The Zamboanga examples favour his hypothesis. 



4li2 



