DISTRIBUTION OF BARN-OWLS. " 293 



was induced to change his opinion and to agree as to the identity of these two 

 Barn-Owls ; and he restored the name oijavanica for the Indian bird, sinking 

 his own previously proposed name of indica (cf. Ibis, 1870, p. 160). 



Mr. Hume, commenting in 1870 on the first essay of Mr. Blyth's 

 respecting these birds, writes : — " I have a few remarks to make on this 

 interesting note. In the first place, although the amount of spotting on the 

 lower surface of an Indian bird varies much, yet out of the fifty odd specimens 

 that I have seen I have never found one with the perfectly spotless, almost 

 indescribably pure white which so often characterizes the whole under surface 

 of the adult European bird. In S. indica there are always, I believe, some 

 few spots and some faint trace of fulvous tinging " (Rough Notes, ii. p. 344). 



It is probable that Mr. Hume was speaking of ordinary English 

 specimens, and not those of the Continent, though we now know that 

 British examples are often spotted. A propos of Indian Barn-Owls, however, 

 his observations are much to the point. 



The following notes refer to the series in the British Museum : — 



P'. India (Capt. Johnstone). Very delicate grey, the white spots nearly 

 obsolete ; face white, with very little rufous in front of the eye ; below pure 

 white, with a few triangular dusky spots on the flanks, being remains 

 of irregular dusky vermiculations ; remains of four bars on quills ; on the tail 

 also four bars, disappearing towards the tip. Total length 14 inches, wing 

 12-2, tail 5'4, tarsus 275, middle toe 1-4. 



Q'. India (Dr. Burns). Coloured above in the same way as in the 

 preceding bird ; spots on the breast larger, but showing no traces of bars ; 

 on the quills traces of two bars only remaining ; tail wdth fve bars. Total 

 length 12*5 inches, wing 12"1, tail 5*5, tarsus 2"65, middle toe 1'35. 



R'. India (presented by Mr. Gould). Greyish above; below pale buffy 

 white, with a few dusky brown spots rather longitudinal in shape; on the 

 lower parts decided remains of freckling, imparting a certain vermiculated 

 appearance to the lower parts, especially on the chest ; on the quills remains 



2 R 2 



