EAGLE OWL. 119 



nearly black, the base of it hid by the radiating feathers 

 forming the inner portion of the facial disk ; irides bright 

 orange ; the tufts on the head contain seven or eight dark- 

 coloured feathers, with light brown bars on the inner 

 webs ; the head, neck, and back, a mixture of reddish 

 brown and dark brown, the darker colour occupying 

 the centre of each feather, forming streaks ; the other parts 

 of the web mottled ; wing-primaries and tail feathers 

 similar in colour, but barred transversely ; the feathers of 

 the facial disk light brown speckled with greyish black, 

 those under the disk white ; breast pale brown, with 

 longitudinal patches of dark brown ; belly, under tail- 

 coverts, thighs, legs, and toes, pale brown ; with numerous 

 narrow transverse bars of dark brown ; under surface of tail- 

 feathers dusky brown, barred with pale brown ; claws long, 

 curved and black. The whole length of a specimen is from 

 twenty-four to twenty-eight inches, the difference depend- 

 ing upon sex and age. Two preserved specimens of 

 females in the Museum of the Zoological Society are 

 darker in the general colour of their plumage than a male in 

 the same collection, and both have the throat white. They 

 are old birds. 



