152 STRIGIDJE. 



The beak is yellowish white ; the irides very pale straw 

 colour ; feathers of the facial disk greyish white, passing 

 into brown on the outer side of each eye ; chin, and sides 

 of the neck, below the ears, nearly white ; top of the head 

 and neck clove brown, with numerous spots of greyish 

 white ; the back and wings clove brown, with roundish 

 white spots arranged in several lines on the scapulars 

 and wing-coverts, and varied with other white spots which 

 are less distinct, each brown feather having a white spot, 

 which is partly concealed by the brown end of the feather 

 over it ; wing-primaries umber brown, barred with yellow 

 brown or wood brown : the first quill-feather short ; the 

 second and fifth longer, and equal in length ; the third 

 and fourth the longest, and also equal : upper surface of 

 tail-feathers clove brown, barred with pale wood brown ; 

 upper part of the breast with an indistinct brown and 

 white transverse band, below greyish white with longitu- 

 dinal spots of clove brown ; under tail-coverts white ; 

 under surface of tail-feathers dull greyish brown, barred 

 with yellow brown : legs very long, covered with close 

 short white hair-like feathers, from which circumstance 

 this species has received the name of nudipes from M. 

 Nilsson ; the toes are very slightly covered ; the claws 

 sharp and black. 



The whole length of this bird is about eight inches and 

 a half. The females are rather larger than the males, and 

 the general colour of their plumage is paler. 



According to Bechstein, in the young birds before the 

 first moulting, " the head is of a soft reddish grey, clouded 

 with white. The large round spots on the back become 

 gradually more marked; and the reddish white of the 

 under part by degrees acquires long streaks of brown on 

 the breast and sides." 



