iSS6.] Cory ou the I3irds of the West Indies. 4^7 



Oiiis stygiiis Pi cher. Rev. Mag. Zool. 1S49, P -9- — Gray, Gen. Bds. I, ]). 



40 (1S44-49). — Kaup, Contr. Oimi. 1852, p. 113. — Brewer, Pr. Bost. 



Soc. Nat. Hist. VII, p. 306 (1S60).— Bd. Bwr. & Ridgw. Hist. N. 



Am. Bds. Ill, p. 17 (1S74). 

 Otus melanopsis Light. Nom. Av. p. 6. 

 Asia stygius Strickl. Orn. Sjn. p. 207. — Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. 



II, p. 241 (1S75).— Cory, List Bds. W. I. p. 21 (1SS5). 

 Asio sig)iapa Strickl. Orn. Svn. p. 212. 



Sp. Char. '^Adult. Above of a nearly uniform chocolate-brown, the 

 hinder neck and wig with a few longitudinal spots of light ochre, 

 rather more oval in shape on the latter, the rest of the upper sur- 

 face having concealed spots and vermiculations of whitish buff, 

 rather larger and more distinct on the outer margin of the scapulars ; 

 wing-coverts uniform with the back, with the same more or less 

 concealed vermiculations, these being absent on the primary-coverts, 

 which are uniform brown ; quills chocolate-brown like the back, 

 with obsolete bars of lighter brown, more distinct on the seconda- 

 ries, where they are often replaced by ochraceous spots or vernlicu- 

 lations,the innermost uniform with the back, and slightly freckled 

 with vermiculations of whitish buff or light ochre, the primaries with 

 a few spots of deep ochre on the outer web, only distinct or of any 

 size near the base; upper tail-coverts brown, with distinct bars of 

 bright ochre; tail deep chocolate-brown, with a whitish tip, and 

 crossed with five or six additional bars of bright ochre, these bars 

 more numerous (seven or eight) on the inner web when the tail is 

 spread ; forehead and feathers above the eye brown, streaked with 

 silvery grey ; ear-tufts 2 inches long, chocolate-brown, with outer 

 margins of light ochre; sides of face dingy brown, the cheeks 

 streaked with fulvous, and the ear-coverts fulvous at their bases ; 

 ruft' brown, mottled with light ochre, the hinder feathers almost en- 

 tirely ochraceous, with brown margins and shaft-stripes; chin dingy 

 brown, mottled with pale ochraceous, the ruff across the throat com- 

 posed of Avhite feathers with dark brown centres; rest of under sur- 

 face ochraceous, mottled with brown, this color more prevalent on 

 the upper breast where it occupies the centre of the feathers; the 

 lower breast and abdomen streaked with brown down the middle of 

 the feathers, with dark brown lateral bars to each, the interspaces 

 being oval spots of white ; leg-feathers deep ochre, spotted with tri- 

 angular brown markings; under tail-coverts deep ochre, the longest 

 ones streaked with brown; under wing-coverts deep ochre, the out- 

 ermost spotted and margined with brown, the greater series light 

 ochraceous at base, dark brown at tip, thus resembling the inner 

 lining of the wing, which is almost entirely dark brown, excepting 

 a few irregular bars of ochraceous, these being almost entirely 

 absent near the primaries. Total length 20 inches, wing 13.7, tail 

 7.S, tarsus 1.4." (Sharpe, 1, c.) 

 Habitat. Cuba. 



