74 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



Athene persica, Locke, Expl. ScL Ahj. Ois. i, p. 106 (1867). 

 A. glaux, Koenig, J./. 0. 1888, p. 161; id. J. f. 0. 1892, p. 319; 

 Whitakcr, Ibis, 1891, p. 95 ; Eiiaiujcr, J. J. 0. 1898, p. 178. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Kasriu, Central Tunisia. 



Upper parts sandy rufous-brown, the crown and nape streaked with 

 small longitudinal stripes, and the remainder of upper plumage mottled 

 with large whitish spots, most pronounced on the hind neck and upper 

 wing-coverts ; quills banded with whitish ; tail barred with huffy-white ; 

 facial disc ill-defined ; the feathers round the eye and on the chin white ; 

 bristles round the bill white, tipped with black ; a band across the upper 

 breast white ; rest of underparts whitish, heavily striped with sandy-brown, 

 and becoming purer on the crissum ; toes clothed with stiff hair-like 

 feathers, or bristles. 



Iris bright yellow ; bill greenish-yellow ; toes greyish. 



Adult female similar to the male. 



Observations. — Comparing a fair series of this Owl from Tunisia with 

 specimens of C. noctiia from Europe, 1 cannot find any appreciable dif- 

 ference between the birds except that of colour, the latter being generally 

 of a chocolate-brown shade, while the former are sandy or rufous-brown. 

 In Tunis itself, however, there is considerable variation in colour, according 

 to the particular locality inhabited by the birds, examples from northern 

 districts being, as a rule, darker than those from southern and more desert 

 regions. Specimens from North Marocco are rather darker and more 

 rufous than any Tunisian birds, and approximate more to typical C. uoctiia 

 from Europe, but examples from South Marocco resemble some from 

 Tunisia. In point of size there seems to be no appreciable difference 

 between C. noctua and C. n. glaux, although there is considerable individual 

 variation in this respect to be found in both forms. The marking of the 

 upper plumage of this bird is peculiar. The bases of the feathers arc 

 grey, then comes a white bar, followed by sandy-brown, enclosing two oval 

 white patches, one on either side of the shaft, but sometimes the two spots 

 are united, forming one large central patch. The wing-coverts have the 

 white spot only on the outer webs of the feathers. 



This small Owl, which seems to be merely a form or subspecies 

 of Carine noctua (Scopoli), is the representative of that species in 

 Tunisia, and generally throughout the greater portion, if not the 

 whole of North-west Africa. As mentioned in the observations 

 following the description of the bird, it appears to differ from C. 

 noctua only in its more sandy and rufous coloration, being, moreover, 

 even within its own habitat, subject to a considerable amount of 

 individual colour-variation, northern examples being darker than those 



