23 [Vol. xlii. 



from India. I have not found this to be the case to any 

 appreciable extent. The wings of nine African males 

 measure 350-390 mm., average 364 ; of four Indian males 

 370-380 mm., average 372. This seems hardly sufficient 

 ground for separating into two races. 



Anas undulata kueppelli. 



Neumann (Journ. Ornith. 1904, p. 327) has pointed out 

 that the Abyssinian Yellow-billed Ducks can be distin- 

 guished from those of South Africa by the colour of the 

 speculum, which is blue and not green, and by their darker 

 underparts. An examination of the specimen in the British 

 Museum confirms what Neumann states, while birds from 

 Uganda are somewhat intermediate. 



Thalassoknis leuconotus insularis. 



The White-backed Duck of Madagascar has been separated 

 as a distinct species by Richmond (Froc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xix. 

 p. 678, 1897). It appears to be slightly smaller^ but the 

 colour-differences given by Richmond hardly hold good 

 when a good series of African examples are examined. It 

 certainly cannot be regarded as anything but a subspecies. 



Asio CAPENSis (Smith). 



Sir Andrew Smith, in his essays on African Zoology, in 

 the 2nd series of the ' South African Quarterly Journal,' 

 gave the specifi.c name capensis to no fewer than five Owls — 

 i.e., Noctua (now Glaucidium) capensis, p. 313, Scops (now 

 Otus) capensis, p. 314, Otus (now Asio) capensis, p. 316, 

 Strix (now Tyto') capensis, p. 317, and Buho capensis, 

 p. 317. 



Owing to the present use of the generic name Otus for 

 the Scops Owls, it appears to be necessary under the rules 

 to abandon the name capensis for the Marsh-Owl usually 

 known as Asio capensis (Smith), as it is preoccupied by 

 Scops (now Otus) capensis (Smith). The only name available 

 for the species appears to be tingitanus (Pliasmop)tynx capensis 

 var. tingitanus Loche, Explor. Scient. de I'Algerie, Ois. i. 

 p. 99, 1867) — a rather awkward situation ; and, if the 



