PULSATRIX. — OTUS 287 



Range in British Guiana, Supenaam River, Bonasika River 

 (Mc Connell collection) ; near Roraima (^ScJiomhin-ffk) ; Bartica 

 {WJiiteli/); Georgetown (QuelcJi). 



Extralimital Range. Eastern and Southern Brazil and (according 

 to the 'Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum,' ii. p. 279) 

 Bolivia. Central America to Mexico. 



Habits. According to Schomburgk (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 732) 

 this bird was distributed over the whole of British Guiana. He 

 obtained it in the woods near the coast and also near Roraima. 

 It roosts during the day in the depths of the woods and at sunset 

 sallies forth for food. Its usual haunts were the borders of the 

 rivers, where it was often seen to fly along close to the water. It 

 appeared to be very fond of fresh-water shrimps which crawl 

 on the water^s edge. The plumage of the young bird is prettier 

 than the adult, as it has the face black and the remainder of the 

 plumage pure white. The full plumage is not obtained until the 

 second or third year. He did not find its nest, but it is said to 

 build in hollow trees. 



Mr. J. J. Quelch^ who observed this species in Georgetown, 

 remarks (Timehri (2) v. p. 103) : — " The third form, the Spectacled 

 Owl [Pulsatrix torquata), is also a large bird, of about 20 inches 

 or more in length. Its eyes are of a deep yellow or orange- 

 yellow. The young birds are covered chietiy with fluffy white 

 down, changing to dark or blackish brown above, and yellowish 

 or pale reddish brown below, while a white streak marks out the 

 facial disk like a spectacle, and a dark brown band girdles the 

 neck and breast like a collar. These birds have only been met on 

 the outskirts of the town.^^ 



Genus OTUS Penn. 



Otus Pennant, Indian Zoology, p. 3, 1769. Type O. halckamoena Penn. 



This genus is easily recognized by the small size of its members, 

 the extended ear-tufts, and the proportionately long wings which 

 extend, when closed, almost to the tip of the tail. 



182. Otus crucigerus. 

 Srix's Scors Owl. 



Slrix crncicjera Spix, Av. Bras. i. p. 22, pi. ix. 1824 (" juxta flumo;* 

 Amazonuiu "j. 



