NINOX. 267 



quills like tail but spotted, instead of barred, with light rufous- 

 brown; scapulars like back, some of them with large nearly white spots 

 on outer webs; a few of greater series of wing-coverts also spotted with 

 white on outer webs; chin and throat whitish, almost pure white in one 

 specimen, in others light rufous-brown, the feathers always with black 

 shaft-stripes ; auriculars fulvous-brown somewhat mixed with light rufous- 

 brown; sides of neck like head; breast, abdomen, flanks, thighs, under 

 wing-coverts, and axillars rufous-brown, the depth of the color subject to 

 great individual variation, many feathers of breast and abdomen with 

 fulvous-brown spots and all with blackish bases; under surface of wing 

 fulvous-brown. Inner webs of feathers, especially of secondaries, spotted 

 and barred, with light rufous-brown; a spot of white on bend of wing; 

 tarsus feathered for rather more than half its length. Iris yellow; legs 

 and feet pale yellow ; bill black at tip, gray at base. Two females measure, 

 241 in length; culmen, 13; tarsus, 31; wing, 181; tail, 102. 



"A single specimen of this species was secured in Cebu by Mr. Worcester 

 in 1888. Its curious mottled back and under surface were suggestive of 

 immaturity, and Dr. Steere thought it to be the young of some undescribed 

 species. We have altogether too much material now to make such a 

 theory tenable." (Bourns and Worcester.} 



A rusty brown male was taken in Sibuyan. Iris yellow ; bill and legs 

 pale dirty greenish; cere a little darker; nails gray, blackish at tips. 

 Length, 285; wing, 210; tail, 114; culmen from base, 23; tarsus, 32. 



A male from Cebu is in the light phase. Chin, throat, and forehead 

 mostly white; rictal bristles with white bases; scapulars spotted with 

 white; abdomen and flanks very largely white and with no fulvous nor 

 rusty brown wash. 



228. NINOX REYI Oustalet. 



BEY'S HAWK OWL. 



Ninox reyi OUSTALET, Bull. Assoc. Sc. France (1880), No. 39, 206; SHARPE, 

 Ibis (1894), 245; Hand-List (1899), 1, 291; McGBEGoa and WORCESTER, 

 Hand-List (1906), 47. 



Bongao (Everett) ; Sulu (Montana & Rey, Marche) . 



Diagnosis. Distinguished at once from the common species (Ninox 

 philippensis) by its greater length (290 mm.), by its much longer wings 

 passing even the tip of the tail, and finally by its reddish brown plumage 

 and transverse brown bars on head and on shoulders.* 



* "Quant a la Chouette qui provient du meme [Sulu] archipel, on peut la 

 distinguer immediatemen de 1'espece commune des Philippines (Ninox philippensis) 

 par sa taille plus forte (o m. 29), par ses ailes beaucoup plus longues et depassant 

 mgme l'extre*mite de la quene, et enfin par son plumage roux, raye" transversale- 

 ment de brun sur la tete et sur les e"paules. Par ce dernier caractere, la chouette 

 des lies Sooloo, que pourra e"tre appele Ninox Reyi, ressemble en peu au Glaucidium 

 ou Athene cuculoides de 1'Indo-Chine, espece dont les ailes sont, du reste, beaucoup 

 moins developpe"es." ( Oustalet. ) 



