462 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie Grant on the 



to study this part o£ tlie collection. Very few insects were 

 obtained during this trip, but Mr. Whitehead has sent home 

 a fine collection of dried plants, which will be reported on in 

 due course by Mr. Reudle, of the Botanical Department of 

 the Natural History Museum. 



1. Elanus hypoleucus, Gould ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. 

 Mus. i. p. 338 (1874). 



An adult example o£ the Black-shouldered Kite was 

 obtained in the lowlands. 



2. Scops, sp. inc. 



The present collection contains an imperfect skin of a 

 small Owl with long ear-tufts and partially naked tarsi, 

 which, if not identical with Scops longicornis from Luzon, is 

 very closely allied to that species ; both the type of S. longi- 

 cornis and the second specimen subsequently obtained in the 

 Lepanto district are males, whereas the bird from Mindoro 

 is a female. Unfortunately it was shot by Mr. Whiteliead^s 

 collector at such short range that one side of the breast was 

 entirely blown away ; but Mr. Whitehead has managed to 

 make the bird into a fairly good skin, and the different 

 characteristics can be well seen. It differs from the Luzon 

 specimens in the following particulars : — The hair-like fea- 

 thers on each side of the mandible are considerably shorter, 

 the longest bristles being less than an inch in length, while 

 in S. longicornis they measure fully 1'2 ; the feathers on the 

 forehead and above the eyes are almost uniform pale buff in 

 the Mindoro bird, instead of white; the ear-tufts are less 

 developed, measuring only 1-2; the white ring across the 

 back of the neck is merely indicated by a few paler feathers, 

 otherwise the upper parts are very similar to the type of 

 S. longicornis; the ground-colour of the underparts — espe- 

 cially the middle of the breast and belly — is mostly buff", and 

 almost entirely devoid of white, which is so conspicuous in 

 S. longicornis. Total length 7"2 inches, wing 5*3, tail 2*5, 

 tarsus 1"15. 



This imperfect specimen most probably represents a distinct 

 species, but more material is required to settle the point. 



