STEIGID^S. 39 



Woodpecker, as it was scarcely jarring or hollow enough ; 

 still there the sound was. At last, when I was on 

 the point of giving up the search. I espied in a small 

 cavity, caused by the breaking off of a branch close to 

 the stem, a small, dark, and all but immovable mass ; I 

 fired at once, and down came one of the prettiest and 

 most perfect little Owls 1 had ever seen. Undoubtedly 

 this was the bird which had attracted my attention in 

 so peculiar a manner ; and the noise was probably caused 

 by the opening and shutting of its bill. At long 

 intervals I obtained three more specimens in the same 

 locality ; and as the four consisted of an adult male and 

 female and two young, I inferred that they all belonged 

 to the same family. 



The iris in this species is bright yellow, darkest on the 

 outer side of the ring ; the bill and toes are a bluish 

 horn-colour. 



Measurements of two specimens, both males : 



in. lin. in. lin. 



Entire length ...... of one 7 .. of the other 6 10 



Length of folded wing ... 54.. 53 



tarsus ..... 11.. 10 



middle toe ... 08.. 08 



tail ...... 27.. 24 



08.. 08 



[I am not aware that any figure of this species has yet been 

 published ; a specimen brought from Abyssinia, by Mr. Jesse, 

 and now in the collection of Viscount Walden, though referred 

 by Dr. Finsch (loc. cit.) to S. senegalensis, appears to me to 

 belong to this species, as it exactly agrees with those obtained in 

 Damara Land by Mr. Andersson. I have seen several Damara 

 specimens of this bird, all of which, as well as the Abyssinian 

 example above referred to, exhibit a much darker tint of grey 

 over the entire plumage than is to be found in any other Old- 



