EAGLE OWL. 119 
nearly black, the base of it hid by the radiating feathers 
forming the mner portion of the facial disk; irides bright 
orange ; the tufts on the head contain seven or eight dark- 
coloured feathers, with light brown bars on the inner 
webs; the head, neck, and back, a mixture of reddish 
brown and dark brown, the darker colour occupying 
the centre of each feather, forming streaks ; the other parts 
of the web mottled; wing-primaries and tail feathers 
similar in colour, but barred transversely ; the feathers of 
the facial disk light brown speckled with greyish black, 
those under the disk white; breast pale brown, with 
longitudinal patches of dark brown; belly, under tail- 
coverts, thighs, legs, and toes, pale brown ; with numerous 
narrow transverse bars of dark brown ; under surface of tail- 
feathers dusky brown, barred with pale brown ; claws long, 
curved and black. The whole length of a specimen is from 
twenty-four to twenty-eight inches, the difference depend- 
ing upon sex and age. ‘Two preserved specimens of 
females in the Museum of the Zoological Society are 
darker in the general colour of their plumage than a male in 
the same collection, and both have the throat white. They 
are old birds. 
