304 On an apparently undescribed Species of Owl. 



The following is a description of the coloration and mark- 

 ings of the adult specimen of Scops pry eri : — 



The feathers on the ceritral portion of the crown of the 

 head and on the nape ai"e blackish brown freckled with dark 

 rufous brown, the sides of the crown and of the nape are a 

 paler rufous, barred and tipped with blackish brown ; the 

 colour of the cheeks and lores resembles that of the centre 

 of the crown ; the interscapulars are dark brown irregularly 

 cross-barred with paler brown, but both shades tinged with 

 dull rufous ; the least wing-coverts are dark brown, sparsely 

 varied with small spots of a paler rufous brown ; the median 

 and greater coverts, and also the scapulars, are similarly 

 marbled with two shades of rufous brown, but with the paler 

 rufous predominating, especially on the external edge of the 

 outer row of scapulars, where the feathers are a clear luteous 

 brown scantily traversed towards the tip with dark brown ; 

 all the wing-feathers, including the winglet, are dark brown, 

 alternating on the outer web with pale rufescent buff in a 

 regularly disposed pattern of square notches, and cross-barred 

 on the inner web with two shades of brown, the lighter bars 

 becoming tinged with pale luteous towards the edge of the 

 feathers ; the lower part of the back and the upper tail- 

 coverts resemble the interscapulars in their marking and 

 coloration ; the rectrices are dark brown cross-barred with 

 paler brown, and the central pair exhibit seven such pale 

 bars and a pale tip. 



The entire under surface of the body from the chin, which 

 is whitish and immaculate, to the vent is rich rufous brown, 

 each feather having a conspicuous and somewhat broad shaft- 

 mark of blackish brown and several minute irregular cross 

 bars a shade less dark than the shaft-marks ; the under 

 wing-coverts are pale fulvous and unspotted ; the tarsi are 

 rufous brown, slightly dotted with a few spots of darker 

 brown. 



The immature specimen retains its nestling-dress on the 

 crown of the head, the nape, the breast, and portions of the 

 abdomen, where the colouring is less rich and the markings 

 less distinct than in the adult bird, which it closely resembles 



