346 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED 



lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts pure white, with here 

 and there remains of pale brown cross markings, more distinct 

 on the tail-coverts ; tail itself pure white, the two outer feathers 

 on each side unspotted, the rest having three rows of brown 

 markings near the tips' ; forehead and entire face and throat 

 pure unspotted white ; rest of under surface of body white, 

 narrowly barred with dusky brown, these bars narrowing on 

 the lower parts of the body, and being absent on the under 

 tail-coverts and leg feathers, the plumes on the latter complete- 

 ly hiding the entire foot and even the nails ; under wing- 

 coverts pure white, as is also the inner lining of the quills, 

 with the exception of a few dusky brown spots near the tips. 

 Total length, 20*5 inches ; wing, 16*7 ; tail, 9'1 ; tarsus about 

 2-35. 



The young birds are strongly barred, and these bars dis- 

 appear as the individuals advance in age. The females seem 

 never to get as free from transverse markings as the males ; 

 or, at all events, if they ever become pure white, they take a 

 longer time to lose the barred plumage ; and in numerous other 

 families of birds this is also known to be the case. — Sharpe's 

 Catalogue. 



68 ter.— Bubo ignavus, Furst. 



Adult Male. — General colour, above blackish, mottled and 

 varied with yellowish tawny colour ; head blackish, the tawny 

 vermiculations being confined to the terminal margins and a few 

 lateral bars on each side of the feather, so that the centre of 

 the latter remains blackish ; ear-tufts black, 3*2 inches long, 

 excepting near the basal half of the inner web of the interior 

 plumes, which are tawny buff, with narrow blackish vermi- 

 culations ; nape and hind neck much paler than the crown, 

 the feathers being for the most part tawny buff, with 

 broad black centres, from which spring on each side narrow 

 black transvermiculating lines ; back again darker, the feathers 

 being mostly black ; the half concealed bases tawny buff, vermi- 

 culated and irrorated coarsely with black; scapulars whitish 

 externally or fulvous, sparingly transvermiculated with black, 

 and forming an indistinct shoulder-patch ; wing-coverts black- 

 ish ; the least series very slightly varied with tawny buff; the 

 median and greater series more frequently mottled with this 

 character, the latter whitish at tip, with narrow irregular cross 

 lines of black, forming an indistinct bar across the wing ; pri- 

 mary coverts blackish, only slightly mottled with fulvous near 

 the base of the outer web ; quills dark brown, regularly barred 



