scors EARED OWL. 123 



Birds of Western Africa, recently published, is, as tlmt 

 gentleman has stated, a distinct species from that found 

 in Europe, and both of them are distinct from that named 

 capensis by Dr. Smith, which is found at the Cape. By 

 the kindness of Dr. Smith, I have been enabled to com- 

 pare the European Scops with both the African species. 



The beak is black ; the irides bright yellow ; the fea- 

 thers of the facial disk minutely speckled with greyish 

 white and brown, the margin of the disk on each side de- 

 fined by a darker brown line ; from the beak over the top 

 of the head are several longitudinal streaks of dark brown 

 on a pale brown ground, forming a central band passing 

 over the head between the tufts, which are short, made up 

 of a few feathers slightly elongated, differing but little in 

 colour from the grey speckled feathers of the facial disk ; 

 the back chesnut and pale wood brown, mottled with grey, 

 and barred with dark lines ; the outer web of the wing- 

 feathers barred alternately with white and speckled brown ; 

 tail barred and spotted with black, brown, and pale wood- 

 brown ; the whole of the breast and belly varied with 

 greyish white and pale brown, with several decided streaks 

 and patches of umber brown ; under tail-coverts and under 

 surface of tail-feathers greyish white, mottled and barred 

 transversely with brown ; thighs and legs to the junction 

 of the toes covered with short speckled feathers ; toes 

 brown ; claws white at the base, nearly black at the tip. 



The males and females are very similar in plumage, but 

 young birds have a more rufous tinge. 



The whole length of a specimen is about seven inches 

 and one quarter. 



