CARINE PERLATA. Ue 
71. CARINE CAPENSIS. Barred Owlet. 
(Plate ITI.) 
Athene capensis, Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 387. (1867.) 
The few specimens known to Dr. A. Smith were all killed in 
forests in the Cape Colony. Personally we have not met with it; 
neither does M. Victorin appear to have found it at the Knysna. Mr. 
Ortlepp writes : “I hear they are not uncommon in the woods which 
margin both banks of the Vaal River, where we procured one specimen 
on the Ist of May about noon. It was asleep on one of the topmost 
branches of a high tree, and looked more like a small ball of moss 
than a bird. Its stomach was filled with some soft stuff which 
looked like the soft rind of the ‘ wait-a-bit’ thorn-berry, and nume- 
rous small bones (quite entire and clean) of mice, upon which they 
commence to prey as soon as the twilight darkens into night. Inides 
light yellow.” Mr. Andersson observes as follows :—‘ This, I 
apprehend, is a very scarce bird in Damara Land, as I saw but very 
few specimens in all my travels. I have never observed it in Great 
Namaqua Land.” Mr. Gurney states that in Mr. Andersson’s last 
collection were a pair of birds from the Cunéné and another specimen 
from Ovampo Land. Dr. Kirk obtained it in the Shiré valley, 
opposite the village of Chibisa in October, and says it was ‘ not un- 
frequent in wooded country near the open plains.” 
Head and neck red chestnut-brown, with imperfect white bars ; 
from neck to end of tail umber brown, glossed with purple; some 
feathers have large white blotches, others yellowish bars; wings 
similarly coloured and variegated. Breast, of all these colours, but 
each paler. Belly white, with large brown blotches ; under part of 
tail pale-coloured ; legs white, faintly marked in brown. Length, 8}”’ ; 
wing, 5’’ 9'’’; tail, 33’’. 
The figure is taken from the type in the British Museum. 
72. CARINE PERLATA. African Pearl-spotted Owlet. 
Athene licua, Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 38. (1867.) 
This species is not plentiful in the Cape Colony, and when tho 
first edition was written had not fallen under our notice, but as will 
be seen below it is by no means uncommon in the interior of South 
Africa. Mr. Ortlepp obtained this pretty little Owl to the north of 
Colesberg, and Mr. T. C. Atmore procured a pair on the Vaal River. 
