78 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



Iris yellow ; bill and claws blackish. 



Total length 18 inches, wing 13-50, culinen 180, tarsus 2-6.5, middle 

 claw 1. 



Adult female similar in plumage to the male, but larger. 



This species, like many others in Tunisia, varies considerably in 

 coloration, according to the particular locality inhabited, individuals 

 from the northern and more humid districts bein^;, as a rule, darker 

 than those found in the arid semi-desert regions of the south. 



Specimens of this Owl in my collection from North Tunisia are 

 identical, or almost so, in point of coloration, with typical examples 

 of B. ascalaphus from Egypt. Specimens from Central Tunisia 

 appear to be slightly paler, while those from the south of the Eegency 

 are extremely pale, belonging clearly to a desert form, and meriting 

 subspecific separation. Baron v. Erlanger, in his work on the 

 Tunisian Ornis (J. f. 0. 1898, p. 492), has made two subspecies of 

 this Owl, calling one B. a. harhnrus, and the other B. a. desertorum, 

 the habitat of the former, according to him, being the country north 

 of the Atlas, and that of the latter the region south of those 

 mountains. 



Apparently Erlanger had no specimens of this Owl available for 

 comparison from North Tunisia, the type of his B. a. harharns being 

 from the Oued Kasrin in Central Tunisia. 



While fully admitting the claim of the pale desert-form to 

 subspecific distinction, I cannot agree to the northern form being 

 separated on account of any difference in colour, for, as I have 

 already remarked, some individuals are indistinguishable, or nearly 

 so, from typical examples of B. ascalaphus from Egypt. Tunisian 

 birds, as a rule, appear to be rather smaller than Egyptian ones, 

 but the difference is trifling and in a large series is probably not 

 constant. 



According to the naturalist Blanc, B. ascalaphus is not uncommon 

 in some parts of North Tunisia, where the species is resident and 

 breeds. He informs me that specimens of the bird are occasionally 

 brought to him by the Arabs. 



In the neighbourhood of Kasrin in Central Tunisia, Erlanger met 

 with this Owl, and obtained both old and young birds. 



Dr. Koenig (J. f. 0. 189-5, p. 172) mentions having found B. 

 ascalaphus in the Algerian Sahara, when journeying from Ouargla to 



