486 ASIO SCOPS 



blackish brown, the inner ones tipped with white; middle tail-feathers 

 dark brown, with five warm buff bands, the rest warm buff, barred with 

 blackish brown and tipped with white ; ear-tufts small ; face dull white, 

 pencilled with dark brown, the feathers round the eye black ; facial ruff 

 black marked with reddish ochreous ; under parts pale brown marked, 

 spotted, and vermiculated with light fulvous and dull white ; lower abdo- 

 men, under tail-coverts, and legs ochreous buff ; toes nearly or quite bare ; 

 bill and feet blackish ; iris bluish black. Culmen 1-5, wing 11-6, tail 6'0, 

 tarsus 2-25 inch. Sexes alike. 



Hob. North-west Africa, south to the Cape Colony, occurring 

 locally in Southern Spain. 



In habits it appears to resemble the Short-eared Owl, but 

 it is only found in marshy localities and is gregarious. During 

 the day time it hides in the long grass and reeds, hunting after 

 its prey during the night, but if disturbed during the day it 

 flies well and is not incommoded by the light. It feeds on 

 water-insects, mice, lizards, &c. Its nest, like that of the Short- 

 eared Owl, is placed on the ground in a damp marshy locality, 

 and in April or May it lays 4, seldom 5, roundish white eggs. 



SCOPS, Savigny, 1810. 



691. SCOPS-OWL. 



SCOPS GIU. 



Scops giu (Scopoli), Ann. i. Hist. Nat. p. 19 (1769) ; Newton, i. p. 173 ; 

 Dresser, v. p. 329, pi. 314 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. ii. p. 47 ; 

 Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iii. p. 291 ; Saunders, p. 307 ; Lilford, i. 

 p. 100, pi. 47 ; S. scops, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 132 (1766) ; Naum. 

 i. p. 466, Taf. 43, fig. 3 ; S. aldrovandi. Flem. Brit. Anim. p. 57 

 (1828) ; Gould, B. of E. i. pi. 41 ; Hewitson, i. p. 54, pi. xix. fig. 1 ; 

 S. Korea (Gmel.), Syst, Nat. i. p. 19 (1788) ; Gould, B. of Gt. Brit. i. 

 pi. 33. 



Le petit Due, French ; Mocho pegueno, Portug. ; Corneja, Span.; 

 Assiolo, Chiu, Ital. ; Zwerg ohreule, Germ. ; Kanuk, Russ. ; 

 Marouf, Arab and Moorish ; uf, Persian. 



ad. (Spain). Upper parts greyish, varied with orange and brownish 

 buff, sparingly striped with black, and finely vermiculated with dark 

 brown ; crown washed with rufous buff and strongly striped with black ; 

 ear-tufts small, greyish white on the inner web ; scapulars marked with 

 white ; wings barred with white and speckled brown ; tail light brown, 

 vermiculated and barred with dark brown and fulvous ; facial disk pale 

 grey, speckled with greyish white and brown ; below the ear-coverts to the 



