42 BIRDS OF DAMARA LAND. 



in pairs, and perches on large trees ; it utters at night, 

 and sometimes during the day, a most formidable, 

 hollow, and sepulchral cry or hoot. Its food consists of 

 mice and other small quadrupeds, birds, lizards, and 

 large beetles. The iris is very dark hazel. 

 Measurements of a male : 



in. lin. 



Entire length 23 10 



Length of folded wing 16 7 



tarsus 30 



middle toe 23 



tail 98 



bill 20 



[I believe that no figure of this South- African species has yet 

 been published, though the nearly allied but smaller and more 

 northern race, Huhua lacteus (Temm.) is figured in the ' Planches 

 Coloriees/ pi. 4. ED.] 



52. Bubo maculosus (Vieill.). Spotted Eagle-Owl. 

 Stria; africana, Temminck's PL Col. pi. 50. 

 Bubo maculosus, Layard's Cat. No. 59. 



(part.), Finsch & Hartlaub's Vogel Ost-Afrika's, 



p. 103. 



This Owl is sparingly met with in Damara and Great 

 Namaqua Land ; its food comprises rats and large beetles. 

 The irides are bright yellow, and the bill black. 



[Some naturalists, including Drs. Finsch and Hartlaub,/oc.ce., 

 have supposed this species to be identical with Bubo cinerascens, 

 of Guerin, from Equatorial Africa, a very distinct species be- 

 longing to the genus Huhua (or Nyctaetus), and having, like the 

 other species of Huhua, dark brown irides, very different from 

 the golden-yellow iris which is universal in the genus Bubo. 

 ED.] 



