314 African Zoology. 



with white, or an irregular mixture of brown rufous and white, 

 the vent and under tail coverts, in some, nearly pure white. 

 Tail dark brown, crossed by five or six rows of white spots, the 

 last row at the tips of the feathers. Bill yellowish ; claws a 

 dark horn-colour. Length seven inches. 



Inhabits Southern Africa and Senegal. 



Le Perlee Levaill, pi. 284. Strix peiiata, Vieillet. 



Genus SCOPS. Savigny. 



Head with lateral egrets ; facial disc incomplete or indistinctly 

 formed ; tarsi feathered to the toes ; tail short. 



Scops Europeus. Above brown, finely variegated with white, 

 grey-white, and tawny white bars or spots, and with black 

 longitudinal stripes ; sides of head from bill to egret white, the 

 feathers crossed with delicate black lines ; egrets brown, finely 

 marked with black and white variegations ; rostral feathers 

 long and rigid, white towards bases, the points black ; cervical 

 collar brown-black and white, most distinct on sides of neck ; 

 outermost scapulars with large tawny- white spots. Wing 

 feathers blackish brown, outer vanes barred with white, inner 

 vanes towards margins marked with a series of rufous spots. 

 Under parts grey -white clouded with tawny, variegated with 

 fine black undulated bars and longitudinal black blotches and 

 stripes. Tail tawny-white, finely and closely barred with brown 

 or black, some of the bars of the latter colour being longer 

 than others give the appearance of narrow irregular black 

 bands ; tips of feathers tawny. Legs pale tawny more or less 

 pointed with brown. Eyes, toes and base of bill yellow ; tip of 

 bill and claws black. Length seven inches. 



Inhabits South Africa, Senegal, and Europe. 



Strix Scops, Linn. Le Scops or Petit-Due, Buff. Scops- 

 eared Owl, Lath. Om. 



Obs. Most Ornithologists regard the Owl above described as identical 

 with the little- eared Owl of Europe, yet I am much disposed to consider 

 it as distinct. Its colours are much darker and differently disposed, 

 and in themselves, even different on the inner vanes of wing feathers : 

 I am the more inclined to this opinion, as I have now before me a speci- 

 men from Senegal, which exactly corresponds with the European Scops. 

 The colours of the South African bird being constantly different, it 

 may perhaps be designated as the Scops Capensis, and that of Senegal 

 as the Scops Europeus. 



Genus OTUS. Cuvier. 



Ear opening very large, extending from the bill to nearly the 

 top of the head, with a membraneous operculum in front ; head 

 with egrets erectile at the pleasure of the bird ; bill long, com- 

 pressed, and curved from the base ; tarsi feathered to the toes. 



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