WHITE-FACED SCOPS OWL. 125 



heavy ; these disadvantages of shape are further in- 

 creased by the habits which they all possess of puff- 

 ing out their feathers when perched, so that nothing 

 is seen of the legs but part of the toes and claws. 



Like the rest of the horned Owls, which are now 

 all comprised in the sub-family Asionince, the one 

 before us has no operculum to its otherwise well 

 developed ears. The facial disk, however, is so far 

 perfect, that it is only interrupted on the chin. 

 The aperture of the ears is equal to the size of the 

 eyes, while the tail is short and almost even. These 

 being likewise the essential characters of the Scops 

 EuropceuS) we place it in the same genus, rather as 

 an aberrant than as a typical species, on account of 

 the more denned shape of the disk round the eye 

 and the longer and stiffer feathers which compose it. 

 \n. the length, proportion, and disposition of the 

 jings, quills, and feet, the two birds perfectly agree. 



The size of the body is about that of a domestic 

 pigeon. The ground colour of the upper plumage 

 is entirely light grey-brown, without any of those 

 rufous or ferruginous spots so usual among the 

 species of this family, and which renders their 

 description so very difficult. Upon this grey are 

 darker variegations, each feather having a blackish 

 stripe down the middle, the sides of the stripe being 

 undulated, so as to give the appearance of short 

 transverse knots ; and these are most observable on 

 the wing-covers. There is a broad and conspicuous 

 white outer margin on the scapulars, the outer web 

 of each feather being white, tipt with black. The 



