940 MARQUIS OF TWEEDDALE ON THE [Nov. 19, 



Were it not that the large series of examples sent by Mr. Everett 

 (six males and thirteen females) all agree in having spotted heads, 

 I should not have ventured to separate the Zamboanga species from 

 N. philippinensis of Luzon. Every variety of markings and colora- 

 tions is exhibited in this series, from dark brown to tawny-rufous 

 brown above, and stripes and spots of the same colours below ; but 

 all the nineteen examples have the frontal and coronal feathers 

 brown, spotted with rufous — in some bright rufous, in others pale 

 tawny rufous. Some have the whole under plumage, from throat to 

 vent, dark-centred ; others have the breast almost uniform rich 

 rufous, without pale margins, and with a subterminal brown trans- 

 verse narrow band. 



Every specimen has its sex noted on its label ; and the length of 

 the wing in the six birds marked <$ is greater than in those marked 

 2 ■ The wing of the six males ranges in length from 650 to 7'0, 

 of the thirteen females from 6 - 25 to 6'50. Two Luzon males have 

 the wings 6 - 37 and 5'25. Mr. Sharpe (Cat. ii. p. 168) states 2 

 inches as the length of the tarsus of an example of N. philippinensis 

 in the British Museum ; none of these Zamboanga birds has the 

 tarsus longer than 1*12. 



12. NlNOX LUGTJBRIS. 



Strix Ivgubris, Tickell, J. A. S. B. ii. p. 5/3. 



[Zamboanga. a. $ , March : iris golden ; bill blackish ; cere, cul- 

 men, and mandible greenish yellow; feet dark chrome-yellow; 

 claws black, b. 5 , April : iris deep brown ; bill greenish ; feet 

 chrome-yellow.] 



Dimensions : — 



WiDg. Tarsus. Cuhueu. Tail. 



Six caudal bands. First two primaries without bars. The wings of 

 a ruddy hue. The outer webs of most of the primaries rusty-red. 



The remarks Mr. Gurney has been good enough to favour me 

 with about this Zamboanga race of Ninox Ivgubris are as follows : — 

 " I think the outer webs of the primaries unusually rufous. We 

 have only one similar specimen, which is from Formosa and is 

 described in Sharpe's volume (Catalogue, ii. p. 161); and with 

 this specimen the Zamboanga bird seems to me to agree gene- 

 rally. If JV. japonica be admitted as distinct from N. Ivgubris 

 (though I doubt whether it ought to be), the Zamboanga specimen, 

 I think, ought to be referred to N. japonica." 



Mr. Sharpe has suggested (t. c. p. 166) that the large Japanese 

 and North-China form is migratory. These Zamboanga examples 

 favour his hypothesis. 



13. Pseudoptynx gurneyi, sp. n. (Plate LVIII.) 

 [Zamboanga, rf , pairing, April : iris warm brown ; bill greyish 

 white ; feet pale grey ; claws white tipped with dark grey.] 



