BUBONID^E ASIO 241 



basal one ; claw of middle toe not pectinated (in South African 

 genera). 



This family contains the bulk of the genera of owls, and is 

 sometimes divided into subfamilies, but the characters named for 

 this purpose appear to be rather superficial except in the case of 

 Photodilus, a Madagascar genus, which does not here concern us. 



Genus I. ASIO. 



Type. 

 Asio, Briss. Orn. i, p. 28 (1760) ................................. A. otus. 



Bill moderate ; cere not swollen, nostrils large ovals at the edge 

 of the cere ; facial disc very plainly marked out and extending as 

 far below the eye as above ; ear tufts present, but sometimes but 

 very little developed ; ear opening very large with an operculum ; 

 iris always yellow ; wings long and pointed reaching or nearly 

 reaching the end of the tail and nearly twice as long ; tarsi 

 feathered ; toes sometimes feathered, sometimes bare, sometimes 

 with bristles. 



This genus is spread over the greater part of the world except 

 the Australian region ; two out of four African species are found 

 within our limits. 



Key of the Species. 



A. With large and conspicuous ear tufts ; upper and 



lower surface streaked with black .................. A. leucotis, p. 243. 



B. With very small ear tufts ; no black streaks on 



the upper and lower surface ........................ A. capensis, p. 241. 



- 

 493. Asio capensis. Marsh Owl. 



Otus capensis, Smith, S. Afr. Quart. Journ. ii, p. 316 (1834) ; id. 



III. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 67 (1841) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 



43 (1867) ; id. Ibis, 1869, p. 71 [Bredasdorp] ; BucUey, Ibis, 1874, 



p. 361 ; Oakley, Trans. Philos. Soc. ii, p. 46 (1881) ; Holub & 



Pelzeln, Orn. Slid- Afr. p. 45 (1882). 

 Phasmoptynx capensis, Gurney, Ibis, 1862, p. 26 [Natal] ; Ayres, Ibis, 



1871, p. 148 [Potchefstroom] ; Gurney in Anderssorfs B. Damara- 



l<nid, p. 43 (1871). 

 Asio capensis, Sharj^e, ed. Layard' s B. 8. Afr. pp. 78, 802 (1875-84) 5 



id. < '.it. B. M. ii, p. 239 (1875) ; Oates, Matabdeland, p. 300 (1881) ; 



Jin /In-, l-'cildcn. tun? L'cid, Zool. 1882, p. 205 [Newcastle]; SJ/r/lr//, 



Ihix, 1882, p. 240 [Mashonaland] ; Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 



394 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 142 (1896) ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. 



p. 158 (1899) : Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 432 [Zambesi] . 

 Asio nisuella, Eeichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 659 (1901). 

 16 VOL. ni. 



