80 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



served in the Milan Museum, under the No. 17,406. This example 

 is rather small and light-coloured but otherwise not abnormal. A few 

 years ao;o B. bubo was not uncommon in Sicily, but is now apparently 

 rare in that island. 



BUBO ASCALAPHUS DESERTORUM, Erlanger. 

 DESERT EAGLE-OWL. 



Bubo ascalaphus desertorum, Erlanger, Om. Monatsb. 1897, p. 192 ; 

 id. J.f. 0. 1898, p. 495. 



Description. — Adult male, autumn, from Tatahouine, Southern Tunisia. 



Facial disc white, slightly tinged above and behind the eyes with pale 

 buff; bristles near the bill white, very slightly tipped with pale brown ; ruff 

 white fringed with blackish-brown ; chin and a band below the ruff white ; 

 upper parts generally pale yellowish-buff, mottled with white, and sparsely 

 streaked with blackish-brown, the scapulars and least wing-coverts being 

 darkest, and the nape and rump palest ; tail and wings broadly barred vrith 

 blackish-brown ; breast very pale yellowish-buff, striped with a few dark 

 brown blotches ; rest of the underparts white, washed with pale buff, and 

 barred on the sides and flanks with narrow pale brown vermiculated mark- 

 ings ; feet feathered down to the claws. 



Iris bright yellow ; bill and claws black. 



Total length 18 inches, wing 1.3-'25, culmen 1-50, tarsus 2-70, middle claw 

 M5. 



This Owl is clearly a desert form of the pi'eceding species and has 

 no doubt rightly been distinguished by Baron v. Erlanger under the 

 above subspecific name. 



The remarkably pale hue which some specimens attain is well 

 shown in the accompanying excellent plate, executed by Mr. Gronvold 

 from an example in my collection, obtained at Tatahouine in South 

 Tunisia. 



Similarly pluraaged birds were obtained by the Hon. N. C. 

 Rothschild and Mr. A. F. E. Wollaston near Shendi in the Sudan, 

 Xvhen they visited that country in 1901 (J/;/.?, 1902, p. 27). 



In Tunisia this Owl apparently occurs only in the more southern 

 hilly districts, where it is seldom met with, owing to its nocturnal 



