528 Mr. W. T. Blanford on Indian Oivls. 



base of the toes in S. lettia, as sliown in the figures quoted, 

 is a very small difference, and on going over the large collec- 

 tions of Himalayan skins now available I find it to be 

 extremely variable. In some cases the feathers run a little 

 way down the basal phalanx of the middle and outer toes, 

 whilst in others, again, I cannot see that there is any differ- 

 ence from the Malayan S. lempiji; and I am disposed to 

 suggest, as the locality where this irregular additional 

 feathering of the toes is found is also inhabited by the 

 nearly-allied plume-toed S. semitorques {plumipes) , that the 

 examples of S. lettia with more feathering on the digits may 

 possibly owe this peculiarity to a strain of S. semitorques. 

 In any case I do not think S. lettia need be kept distinct 

 from S. bakkamoena or S. Ien7piji. 



The most difficult group of Scops Owls, that of S. giu, is the 

 last that requires notice. In the first place, I may remark 

 that S. brucei, which has now been traced from the Bombay 

 Deccan to the Kuen-lun, and even, as I am informed by 

 Mr. Dresser, as far as Bokhara and Transcaspia, is a per- 

 fectly distinct form, always to be recognized by having buff 

 (not white) spots on the scapulars, and by the base of the 

 toes being feathered. The other Indian Owls of this section, 

 except S. sunia and S. minutus (the latter was described 

 subsequently), were referred by Dr. Sharpe to S. giu as sub- 

 species. Certainly they have no claim to any higher rank, 

 although they have hitherto passed as S. pennatus. This form 

 is supposed to differ from S. giu by being darker and more 

 rufous, and Dr. Sharpe has noticed some small distinctions 

 in the coloration of the aigrettes and ear-coverts. But Blyth 

 long since regarded the two as identical, and Jerdon was 

 doubtful as to their separation. The fact appears to be that 

 f'pecimens from the Punjab and Sind are absolutely identical 

 with birds from Western Asia — that is, with typical S. giu: 

 that in the damper portions of India a more rufous and 

 darker plumage prevails, and that to the southward a smaller 

 form is found — S. rufipennis in Madras, /S. malayanus in 

 Malacca ; while a still smaller and darker bird inhabits 

 Ceylon — S. mimdus of Legge. 



