THE BURMESE SPOTTED OWLET. 157 



than the back and without any marks ; the long feathers on the sides of 

 the neck, indicating a ruff, whitish, broadly tipped with blackish ; lower 

 plumage light buff; the shafts of the feathers of the throat black and the 

 webs vermiculated with brown ; the breast with small dark -brown shaft- 

 spots and narrow brown vermiculations j abdomen and vent distinctly 

 spotted, not cross-barred ; the outer webs of the scapulars fulvous- white, 

 with some rather large black shaft-spots on the feathers. 



Feet and claws bluish white ; bill bluish white ; cere pale bluish green 

 irides deep brown. (Davison.) 



Length 1T5 inches, tail 5, wing 7'2, tarsus 1*2, bill from gape *9. The 

 female is rather larger. 



This species may be immediately recognized by its very large size, by 

 its intense rufous or chestnut colour, by the absence of a collar on the 

 hind neck and by its white bill. 



The Large Malaccan Scops-Owl was obtained by my men at Malewoon 

 in Tenasserim in February ; and Mr. Davison procured it at Meetan on 

 the slopes of Mooleyit mountain. 



Elsewhere this rare Owl has hitherto only been procured at Malacca. 



There are a vast number of Scops-Owls known from surrounding 

 countries ; but they are so difficult of identification that it would be of 

 little use to refer to them in brief terms. 



Genus CARINE, Kaup. 



539. CARINE PULCHRA. 

 THE BURMESE SPOTTED OWLET. 



Athene pulchra, Hume, S. F. i. p. 469 ; id. S. F. iii. p. 39 ; Wold, in Bl D. Burm. 

 p. 67. Carine pulchra, Sharpe, Ibis, 1875, p. 258 ; id. Cat. Birds B. Mm. 

 ii. p. 140 j Anders. Yunnan Exped. p. 576 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 84 ; Oates, S. F. 

 x. p. 183. 



Description. Male and female. Whole upper plumage greyish brown, 

 each feather with a more or less concealed white bar and two white 

 subterminal spots ; tail greyish brown, with five narrow white bands ; 

 quills earthy brown, with large white patches on both webs forming inter- 

 rupted bands ; lower plumage white, irregularly barred with brown ; the 

 thighs and under tail-coverts pure white ; chin and throat white, continued 

 as a broad band up the sides of the neck ; facial disk, which is nearly 

 obsolete, and sides of the head dark brown mottled with whitish. 



