152 STRIGIDA. 
The beak is yellowish white ; the irides very pale straw 
colour; feathers of the facial disk greyish white, passing 
into brown on the outer side of each eye; chin, and sides 
of the neck, below the ears, nearly white ; top of the head 
and neck clove brown, with numerous spots of greyish 
white ; the back and wings clove brown, with roundish 
white spots arranged in several lines on the scapulars 
and wing-coverts, and varied with other white spots which 
are less distinct, each brown feather having a white spot, 
which is partly concealed by the brown end of the feather 
over it ; wing-primaries umber brown, barred with yellow 
brown or wood brown: the first quill-feather short ; the 
second and fifth longer, and equal in length; the third 
and fourth the longest, and also equal: upper surface of 
tail-feathers clove brown, barred with pale wood brown ; 
upper part of the breast with an indistinct brown and 
white transverse band, below greyish white with longitu- 
dinal spots of clove brown; under tail-coverts white ; 
under surface of tail-feathers dull greyish brown, barred 
with yellow brown: legs very long, covered with close 
short white hair-like feathers,—from which circumstance 
this species has received the name of nudipes from M. 
Nilsson; the toes are very slightly covered; the claws 
sharp and black. 
The whole length of this bird is about eight inches and 
a half. The females are rather larger than the males, and 
the general colour of their plumage is paler. 
According to Bechstem, in the young birds before the 
first moulting, “‘ the head is of a soft reddish grey, clouded 
with white. The large round spots on the back become 
gradually more marked; and the reddish white of the 
under part by degrees acquires long streaks of brown on 
the breast and sides.” 
