38 BIRDS OF DAM AHA LAND. 



48. TsenioglailX capensis (Smith). African Barred-tail Owl. 

 Athene capensis, Smith's Zool. of S. Africa, pi. 33. 



)) Layard's Cat. No. 55. 



Tcenioglaux capensis, Gurney, in Ibis, 1868, p. 147. 



This, I apprehend, is a very scarce bird in Damara 

 Land, as I saw but very few specimens in all my travels. 

 I have never observed it in Great Namaqua Land. 



[Mr. Andersson's collection contained a pair of these Owls 

 obtained at the river Cunene, and also a specimen from Ovampo 

 Land. ED.] 



49. Scops capensis, Smith. Cape Scops Owl. 



Scops capensis, Smith in South-African Quarterly Journal, 1834, 



p. 314 (sub Scops europeeus). 

 Scops senegalensis, Strickland & Sclater, Birds Damar., Contr. Orn. 



1852, p. 142. 



Scops latipennis, Kaup, in Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. iv. p. 223. 

 Ephialtes capensis, Gurney in Ibis, 1859, p. 242. 

 Ephialtes senegalensis, Layard's Cat. No. 60. 

 Strix scops, Chapman's Travels in S. Afr., App. p. 393. 

 Ephialtes senegalensis, Finsch, in Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. vii. p. 210. 



To the best of my belief this is a very rare species in 

 Damara Land ; and I have never met with it elsewhere ; 

 indeed I had been many years in the Damara country 

 before I became aware of its existence, and at last made 

 the discovery in the following rather singular manner : 

 One day, whilst reloading my gun in a wood, my attention 

 was attracted by a noise like that of the gentle and 

 measured tappings of a Woodpecker against the stem of 

 a tree. I approached cautiously the spot from which 

 the sound appeared to proceed ; but, after making several 

 turns round the tree, I could find nothing, and began to 

 doubt whether the sound could have been caused by a 



