80 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on the 



and the female is brown. The female from Abai^ on the 

 other hand, is rufous, and the male, shot in February, is 

 very dark brown. These birds show that both sexes partake 

 of the two phases of plumage. 



[See my note on H. luciee for this Owl, which is a bird of 

 the lower lands. An egg (white; length 1"45 inch, diam. 

 1"2 inch) was procured with the old bird on the 20th of 

 March, J 888 ; but as the bird had been captured with gutta- 

 percha, its plumage was too much spoiled for it to be pre- 

 served. The natives often catch birds by means of " gutta," 

 which they smear on to a little piece of bamboo. This little 

 stick they fix loosely into a long bamboo, and when they see 

 an Owl or any bird which they can approach silently they 

 lay the " gutta '"' stick across the back and withdraw the 

 long bamboo. The bird opening its wings with a start 

 attaches them at once to the sticky bamboo-twig and is 

 caught. Unfortunately the specimens thus obtained are 

 seldom worth preserving.] 



24. Scops rufescens. 



Scops rufescens (Horsf.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. ii. p. 102 (1875) ; 

 Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 19 (1874); Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1879, 

 p. 314; id. Ibis, 1879, p. 238. 



a. $ ad. Benkoka, Sept. 25, 1885. Wing 5 inches. 



b. cT ad. Benkoka, Sept, 25, 1885. Wing 4*5 inches, 



25. NiNOX JAPONICUS. 



Ninoxjaponicus (Bp.) ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1879, p. 325. 

 a. ^ ad. Lawas River, April 9, 1886. Wing 9*3 inches, 



26. NiNOX BORNEENSIS. 



Ninox borneensis (Bp.) ; Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 18 (1874). 

 Ninox scutulata, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1879, p. 324; id. Ibis, 

 1877, p. 4, 1879, p. 238; id. P. Z. S. 1881, p. 791. 



a. S ad. Benkoka, Oct. 10, 1885. Wing 6*9 inches. 



b. S ad. Benkoka, Oct. 30, 1885. Wing 6-9 inches. 



c. ? ad. Benkoka, Oct. 30, 1885. Wing 6-8 inches. 



d. ? ad. Labuan, March 20, 1886. Wing 7*0 inches. 



The sexes of this Owl are very nearly of the same size, as 

 will be seen by the dimensions of the wings. 



