92 BUBONID^:. 



freckled as already described. On the inner webs, the dark bars are nearly 

 uniform and unmottled, while the light bars are pure and unmottled towards 

 the edge of the webs, and suffused with brown towards the shafts. The 

 tertiaries and the tips of the secondaries approximate closely to the plumage 

 of the back and coverts. Of the breast and abdomen, the ground colour is 

 similar to that of the upper parts, but the brown powdering is coarser, so that 

 more of the ground colour is seen, and the dark brown central shaft stripes are 

 somewhat broader; towards the vent, on the flanks and lower tail coverts, the 

 ground colour becomes almost pure white, and the brown powdering very sparse, 

 while the shaft stripes are reduced as on the back and wing coverts to well- 

 marked dark lines. The short dense tibial and tarsal plumes are brownish 

 white, each little feather with its dark central shaft stripe. The axillaries and 

 wing lining are cream-coloured or yellowish white, entirely unstreaked and 

 unmottled. 



The legs and feet, including the base of the toes, densely feathered; 

 terminal portions of toes with small transverse scutse, slate-coloured ; claws 

 black, well curved, slender, and very sharp ; toes very slender, but pads largely 

 developed, so as to make a broad sole ; exterior toe more or less versatile ; 

 irides bright yellow ; bill dusky. 



Male, Length. 9 inches ; expanse 22 inches; wing 6-4 inches; tail 3-25 

 inches ; tarsus i *45 inches ; foot greatest length i '87 inches ; greatest width i '75 

 inches; mid-toe to root of claw O'8 inch ; its claw straight, 0*39 inch ; hind toe 

 0*35 inch; its claw straight, O'28 inch; inner toe 0*67 inch; its claw straight, 

 0'4 inch. Bill straight from forehead to point including cere, which is ill- 

 defined, 07 inch, from gape 073 inch ; height at front at margin of cere 0*29 

 inch, wings when closed are even with the end of tail. Lower tail coverts 

 reach to within 0*9 inch of end of tail. The third and fourth primaries are the 

 longest ; the first is 075 inch, and the second is 0-08 shorter. The exterior 

 tail feathers are 0*3 inch shorter than the central ones. Weight 4 oz. (Hume, 

 Stray Feathers, vol. i., p. 8.) 



Mr. Vidal obtained this species at Khed in the Southern Concan, and 

 the Rev. Mr. Fairbank near Nuggur. Major Biddulph records it from Gilgit, 

 and I have myself taken specimens in Southern Afghanistan, where it is not 

 uncommon and breeds in April; eggs 3 in number, pure white, round, 177 

 X ro inches. It nests in holes of old Pistacia Kinjuk trees, on the Khojak, 

 and below. Every orchard after dusk is alive with them, and they make night 

 hideous with their melancholy cry. 



90. SCOPS SpilOCephaluS, Blyth, J. A. S. JB. xv., p. 8 ; Eume, 

 Nest and Eggs, Ind. B. i. p. 66; Sharpe, Cat. Ace. Br. Mus. p. 63. Scops 

 pennata, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. vi. p. 369, partim. Phodilusnipalensis, Gray, 

 Handl. JB. i. p. 53. Ephialtes gymnopodus, Hume, Rough Notes, ii. p. 390; 

 Jerd. Ibis. 1871, p. 347. The BARE-FOOT SCOPS OWL, 



