176 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON HELIODILUS SOUMAGNII. [Feb. 18, 



In external appearance HeliodUus is very similar to Strix, but 

 has the toes almost perfectly bare, without any of the hairs which are 

 found on the feet of a Barn-Owl. A more important difference is 

 exhibited in the shape of the wings in the two genera, which may be 

 thus diagnosed : — 



a. Wings very long, surpassing the end of the tail Sirix. 



b. Wings shorter and much more concave, falling short of the tail 



by as much as the length of the outer toe and claw HeliodUus. 



The following is a description of the specimen in the British Mu- 

 seum : — 



Genus Heliodilus. 



HeliodUus, Alph. Milne-Edwards, C. R. 187", Type. 



(Dec.) H- soumagnii. 



Ravge. Confined to Madagascar. 



Heliodilus soumagnii. 



HeliodUus soumagnii, Grandid. Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris (7), ii. 

 p. 66; id. C. R. 1877 (Dec. 3:)- 



Adult. General colour above bright cinnamon-rufous, slightly 

 varied with scantily distributed blackish spots, very small, of an 

 arrow-head shape, and varying in number from two to five, the sub- 

 terminal one alone being distinct ; head and mantle a little more 

 closely spotted than the rest of the upper surface, with the exception 

 of the inner greater coverts and inner secondaries; wings ciunamon- 

 rufous, with faintly indicated black bars on some of the greater 

 coverts, the quills are regularly banded with black on their inner 

 webs ; tail light cinnamon-rufous, crossed with narrow and incom- 

 plete black bars, of wliich six can be noted, without including a tri- 

 angular black spot near the end of the tail ; a complete ruff of deep- 

 cinnamon feathers, with buffy-white bases to the feathers; facial 

 disk deep vinaceous, lighter on the lower margin, where the feathers 

 are fulvescent on their bases ; entire under surface of body light cin- 

 namon, uniform, with the exception of small dusky spots en tlie 

 fore neck and chest, with here and there a spot on the flanks and 

 and under wing-coverts, which are deep cinnamon ; quills pale cin- 

 namon below, with bars of black on the inner webs ; leg-feathers 

 deep cinnamon-rufous, extending down the entire hind leg, and be- 

 coming more and more scanty on the fore part of the tarsus ju&t 

 above the toes ; bill ivory white, the lower mandible yellower. 

 Total length 12-8 inches, culmen 1-45, wing 8-5, tail 4-1, tarsus 21. 



Hab. Neighbourhood of Antananarivo and Tamatave {Mus.Paris), 

 Madagascar. 



