148 Mr. J. H. Gurney's Notes on 



With regard to the colour of the iris in the present species, 

 which is stated by Mr. Atmore (as quoted by Mr. Layard) to be 

 surrounded with a " narrow brick-red riug/^ I may mention 

 that I have at different times seen living specimens of this 

 Owl in the menagerie of the Zoological Society of London, in 

 all of which the colour of the iris has been an intensely dark 

 brown, without any surrounding red ring being visible, except 

 so far as the somewhat conspicuous coral-pink eyelid has had 

 that appearance. 



1 have hitherto considered Huhua verreauxi to be identical 

 with H. lactea (Temm.) {Bubo sw/ZawMs, Lesson), and have included 

 it under the name of B. lacteus in my lists of Natal birds 

 (Ibis, 1863, p. 321, and 1868, p. 50); but on looking more 

 closely into the subject, I believe that Mr. Layard is correct in 

 following Bonaparte's conclusion, and in treating these two 

 species as distinct. On comparing a specimen of H. verreauxi 

 from Caffraria with an example of H. lactea from Bissao (both 

 being female birds), I have found the following differences be- 

 tween the measurements of the two : — 



In these two specimens there is no appreciable difference of 

 coloration ; and the distinction between the two species appears, 

 therefore, to rest upon size alone, as is also the case to a very 

 great extent with the Indian and Indo-Malayan species of the 

 genus Huhua. 



Owing in great measure to the circumstance of but few 

 naturalists having admitted the specific distinctness of these two 

 birds, their respective geographical ranges have not at present 

 been satisfactorily ascertained. 



The localities given by Bonaparte (Consp. Av. i. p. 49) for 

 H. lactea are Senegal and Sierra Leone ; the specimen above 

 referred to, and which belongs to the Norwich Museum, was 

 obtained (as I have already mentioned) from the intermediate 

 locality of Bissao. 



