SCOPS EARED OWL. 11743}. 
Birds of Western Africa, recently published, is, as that 
gentleman has stated, a distinct species from that found 
in Kurope, and both of them are distinct from that named 
capensis by Dr. Smith, which is found at the Cape. By 
the kindness of Dr. Smith, I have been enabled to com- 
pare the European Scops with both the African species. 
The beak is black; the irides bright yellow; the fea- 
thers of the facial disk minutely speckled with greyish 
white and brown, the margin of the disk on each side de- 
fined by a darker brown line; from the beak over the top 
of the head are several longitudinal streaks of dark brown 
on a pale brown ground, forming a central band passing 
over the head between the tufts, which are short, made up 
of a few feathers slightly elongated, differmg but little in 
colour from the grey speckled feathers of the facial disk ; 
the back chesnut and pale wood brown, mottled with grey, 
and barred with dark lines; the outer web of the wing- 
feathers barred alternately with white and speckled brown ; 
tail barred and spotted with black, brown, and pale wood- 
brown; the whole of the breast and belly varied with 
greyish white and pale brown, with several decided streaks 
and patches of umber brown; under tail-coverts and under 
- surface of tail-feathers greyish white, mottled and barred 
transversely with brown; thighs and legs to the junction 
of the toes covered with short speckled feathers; toes 
brown; claws white at the base, nearly black at the tip. 
The males and females are very similar in plumage, but 
young birds have a more rufous tinge. 
The whole length of a specimen is about seven inches 
and one quarter. 
