Brewster on Kennicotf s Oxvl a7id some of its Allies. 29 



margined with black. Secondaries and inner webs of primaries crossed by 

 from six to seven bars of pale reddish-brown. Outer webs of primaries 

 with broad, quadrate spots of brownish-white. Tail regularly but faintly 

 barred with light reddish-brown. Feathers of the sides of head and neck 

 thicklj' but minutely mottled with dusky upon a lighter ground. Lores 

 nearly pure white. A somewhat broken facial-circle of black or chestnut 

 spots and blotches. Beneath ashy-white, lightest on the abdomen, with 

 numerous fine, regular, transverse bars of black and coarse shaft-stripes 

 of the same color; the only immaculate space being that along the middle 

 of the abdomen. Lining of wings and concealed silky plumage of sides 

 under the wings, pale ochraceous. Tarsi, dull chestnut. Wing, 7.10; cul- 

 men, .61; tarsus, 1.77; tail, 4.10; middle toe, .75; ear-tufts, 1.45. 



The above description is of a specimen representing the extreme 

 grayish phase so far as shown by the series before me. Six oth- 

 ers from the same locality vary a good deal in color and mark- 

 ings,' some of them being very dark with coarse shaft-stripes, 

 both above and below, while one or two have the dorsal surface 

 nearl}' like that of asio in its corresponding condition. In all, 

 however, the plumage of the under parts is somewhat different 

 from that of asio., the transverse bars being usually much finer 

 and more regular and the ground color ashy instead of clear white. 

 These differences seem to be most strongly marked in the purely 

 gray specimens which otherwise afford the nearest approaches to 

 asio. 



Among the darker birds are tliree which may be considered as 

 about intermediate between the extreme brown and gray phases. 

 The first, from Mr. Henshaw's collection (Fort Walla Walla, 

 Nov. 7, 1S80, Capt. Bendire) has the dorsal plumage dark brown 

 with an umber cast, while the tibite, lining of wings, outer webs 

 of scapulars, and numerous pairs of rounded spots forming a 

 band or collar across the nape, are tawny-ochraceous of nearly 

 as deep a shade as in typical brown birds. The dark shaft- 

 stripes in this specimen are broader and blacker than in any of the 

 others and the usual ashy cast beneath is replaced by an ochra- 

 ceous one. The remaining two birds are similarly characterized 

 but to a less marked degree. All three combine the gray and 

 brown coloring of the respective extreme phases, precisely as do 

 many of the eastern specimens before me, the gray and red condi- 

 tions of kS. asio. 



The Portland specimen already mentioned, although in some 

 respects an intermediate, is on the whole neai'er the gray than 



