660 On an unnamed Species of Owl. 



XXXVIII.— On an unnamed Species of Owl from South 

 Africa. By W. R. Ogilvie-Grant. 



The late Carlo, Freiherr von Erlanger, very properly separated 

 the northern form of Scops leucotis (which ranges from 

 Senegal to Abyssinia and Somaliland) from the southern 

 form met with in South Africa ; but in naming the former 

 Asio leucotis nigrovertex (cf. J. f. O. 1904, p. 233, pi. xix.) 

 he overlooked the fact that he was renaming the typical 

 form, which was described and figured by Temminck from 

 Senegal [cf PL Col. ii. pi. 25 (no. 16) (1824)]. Temmincls's 

 figure clearly shews the narrow barring of the quills and 

 tail-feathers characteristic of the northern bird at all ages ; 

 but the black patch on the crown is not precisely mentioned, 

 which possibly indicates that the bird described was not 

 quite adult. 



The two allied species should therefore stand as follows : — 



Scops leucotis. 



Strix leucotis Temm. PI. Col. ii. pi. 25 (no. 16) (1824). 



Asio leucotis nigrovertex Erl. J. f. O. 1901, p. 233, pi. xix. 

 (upper figure). 



The British Museum contains fifteen examples of this 

 species from the following localities : — 



Kiver Gambia ; Bathurst ; Ilorin ; Abcokuta ; White 

 Nile; Somaliland. 



Scops erlangeri, nom. nov. 



Asio leucotis leucotis Erl. J. f. O. 1904, p. 233, pi. xix. 

 (lower figure). 



Asio leucotis W. L. Sclater, B. S. Afr. iii. p. 243 (1903). 



The southern form is represented in the British Museum 

 by nineteen specimens from the following localities : — 



jSyasaland; Tete, Zambesi R. ; Maslionaland; Makalaka 

 Country ; Bamangwato ; Transvaal ; Durban ; Damaraland. 



This species differs from the typical S. leucotis in having 

 the dark bars on the primary-quills and tail-feathers much 

 wider and less numerous, and in lacking the uniform black 

 patch on the crown, all the feathers of that part, even in 

 the darkest specimen, being mottled with black and white. 



