82 BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. : 
76. SvRrx PLAMMEA, Barn Owl. 
Strix afinis, Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 43. (1867.) 
. 
This Owl is common all over the colony, breeding in the roof 
of nearly every farm-house that we have entered. Mr. Rickard 
records it from East London and Port Elizabeth. Mr. T. EL 
Buckley obtained a male in Bamangwato, and the British Museum 
contains a Transvaal specimen, presented by Mr. A. Foresman : but 
Mr. Ayres does not appear to have obtained it in Natal. Dr. Dicker- 
son shot it at Quilimane in the Zambesi country.. Mr. Andersson in 
his ‘ Birds of Damara Land’ writes :—“ South of the Orange River 
this Owl is exceedingly common, but north of that river it is a very 
scarce bird, though widely distributed over all the countries of which 
these notes treat.” Mr. Monteiro states that it is abundant about 
Benguela, and Anchieta has procured it at Gambos in the Mossa- 
medes district. In Angola the same traveller has obtained it at 
Ambaca, Toulson at Loanda, and Welwitsch at Bengo. 
In Mr. Fry’s fir-trees, a pair or two were to be found at any time. 
They occupy the same perch for days together, the ground below 
being covered with their pellets. On examining these, they will be 
found to consist almost entirely of the bones of mice—once only 
have we found the skull of a bird. 
Eggs, two to four in number, pure white, not shining : axis, 1’’ 7 ’s 
diam., 1’’ 4”’’.. These birds will continue laying in the same nest 
though it may be robbed many times in succession. We took three 
pair of eggs from a nest in Mr. Kotzé’s wine store at the Berg river 
in September. Mr. Thomas Atmore writes on 12th July, 1870, 
Strix poensis has already hatched in the F. A. M. Police Barracks, 
and the men have taken the young ones.” ’ 
Upper parts rather deep reddish-orange, profusely mottled with 
dark grey, and spotted with white. Tail with four bars of deep 
brown, variegated with grey. Under parts ochreous-yellow, spotted 
with small arrow-head-shaped marks of a dark brown: on the feet 
and half-way up the legs, short, stiff, yellowish hairs. Facial disk 
white, tinted with vinaceous, darkest at the inner angle of the eye, 
and surrounded with a circle of dark aie approaching to black, 
on the lower half. Length, 16” ; wing, 12”; tail, 5’’ 6'”’. 
