SCOPS. ( J3 



Forehead and a broad stripe over the eye pale rufous white or fawn colour. 

 Some of the feathers with a few minute brown spots towards the tip ; loral 

 bristles pale fawn color, more rufous towards the tips, which are black. 

 Feathers under the eye and ear coverts pale fawn color, more or less tinged 

 rufous, and freckled, mottled or imperfectly barred with brown. Top of head, 

 back of neck, back, scapulars, rump and upper tail coverts, also lesser win^ 

 coverts with a more or less dark rufous fawn ground, very finely freckled with 

 dark, in some almost blackish brown. An irregular ill-defined, broad, white, 

 or yellowish white half collar at the base of the neck ; most of the exterior 

 scapulars with the outer webs white or yellowish white, and tipped dark brown. 

 Tail rufous fawn with from 7 (Hume) 9 (Sharpe) somewhat freckled transverse 

 brown bars, 8 of which are distinctly traceable on the centre feathers. (In 

 the specimen from the Kumaons a single one 8 only are traceable on all 

 the feathers.) Quills rufous fawn, broadly barred and clouded with dusky 

 brow r n, which suffuses the, greater portion of the inner webs near the 

 tips. Carpal joint of wing whitish. Chin and throat rufous white or pale 

 fawn. Some of the feathers of the throat with narrow, somewhat irregular 

 transverse brown bars ; the feathers of the ruff tipped with the same. 

 Breast, abdomen and flanks pale rufous white or fawn color, thickly freckled 

 and fermiculated with dark brown, thickly on the breast and sparingly on 

 the abdomen and flanks. Tarsal and tibial plumes ferruginous or rufous 

 white, spotted, or obscurely barred with dusky. Wing lining and auxiliaries 

 silky yellowish white. 



Length. 7 to 775 inches; wing 5-4 to 5-6; tail 275 to 3-1 ; tarsus \'2 to 

 1-25. (Hume). 



Hal. The Himalayas, in the neighbourhood of Mussoorie, Kumaon, 

 Gurhwal, below Simla and Nepal. 



Captain Hutton says this species occurs in the Himalayas near Mussoorie 

 at an elevation of five thousand feet, and nidificates in hollow trees, laying 3 

 pure white eggs of a rounded form, on the rotten wood, without any preparation 

 of a nest. Diameter of egg 1-19 x I 'cinch. The nest was found on the igth 

 March. Scops gymnopodus follows in order, but it is not possible to admit 

 the species as Indian without further proofs. Mr. Sharpe himself doubts its 

 Indian habitat, as Mr. Reeves' specimens on which the species is founded 

 came from Malacca and China. 



91. Scops Simla, Hodgs. As. Res., xix., p. 1 75 ; id. in Gray's Zool. Journ. 

 p. 82 ; Blyth, J.A.S. B. xiv., p. 1 82 ; Jerdlll. Ind. Zool. pi. xli ; Sharpe, Cat. 

 Strips, vol. ii. p. 67. Ephialtes sunia, Gray, Cat. Mamm., <r., Nepaul; 

 Coll. Hodgs., p. 51 ; Ho^sw. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 418. Ephialtes Bakkanuuiui, 

 Blyth, Ibis. 1866, p. 255. Scops pennatus, Hume, Nest and A^.v, ///,/. 

 B. i. p. 65. Ephialtes pennatub, Hume, Rough Notes, ii. p. 386. HODG- 

 SON'S SCOPS ChvL. 



