316 African Zoology. 



Otus Capensis, Smith. Above brown, finely freckled or 

 marked with pale tawny, undulated lines and the shoulders 

 variegated with some large tawny blotches ; face tawny-white, 

 mixed with black near the eyes ; egrets small, brown variegated 

 with tawny ; cervical collar dark brown, spotted with fulvous in 

 front of neck. Anterior part of breast nearly an uniform brown, 

 rest of breast and belly finely mottled brown and white, the 

 colours principally disposed in zig-zag transverse lines and bars, 

 and in some specimens the shafts are deep brown ; vent and tail 

 coverts tawny-white. Primary wing feathers pale fulvous, 

 irregularly barred with brown, and the points entirely brown ; 

 secondaries brown with partial fulvous bands, the tips tawny 

 white, more or less mottled with brown. Tail slightly rounded, 

 the two centre feathers brown, with four tawny bars, the distal 

 one broken and indistinct, the outer feathers tawny white with 

 three brown bars, the extremities of all the feathers nearly 

 pure white. Legs tawny white ; bill and claws black. Length 

 fourteen inches. 



Inhabits South Africa, in marshy situations. 



Marsh Owl of the Cape Colonists. 



Otus Madagascariensis, Smith. Above blackish brown, each 

 feather with a tawny blotch on each vane, producing a mottled 

 appearance ; scapulars blotched, banded or undulated with 

 tawny. Wing feathers dull brown, with tawny bars, many of 

 them brownish towards their centres. Egrets black-brown, 

 some of the feathers blotched on both vanes with tawny, others 

 only on outer vanes ; cheeks tawny -brown ; shafts and points of 

 feathers black; rostral feathers black and white. Throat 

 crossed by an obscure white crescent, and below that an in- 

 distinct collaret which extends on each side of the neck nearly 

 to the egrets, and is mottled black-brown and tawny-white. 

 Under parts tawny with longitudinal brown blotches, largest on 

 the breast. Legs tawny rufous with a few brown variegations. 

 Tail dark brown, with four or five light brown bands margined 

 with tawny. Bill bluish black ; claws black. Length fifteen 

 inches. 



Inhabits Madagascar. 



06s. This species stands close to Otus brachyotos, but differs from it 

 particularly in the want of white spots on the upper parts, and in the 

 distribution of the colours of the collaret and hinder parts of the belly. 



Grenus STRIX. Savigny. 



Bill straight at base, curved towards tip ; ear opening ample 

 with a large operculum; the circle of setaceous feathers of face 

 much developed ; no egrets ; tarsi feathered ; toes covered with 

 hairs. 



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