96 CASSIN'S DESCRIPTIONS OF OWLS. 



Younger ? Plumage above paler, with small spots and minute freckles of grayish 

 white, scarcely assuming the appearance of bands. Breast almost black, or with the 

 black markings predominating and tending to form a broad pectoral band ; abdomen 

 fulvous, with black marks. 



Hab. — South America. 



Ohs. — This species bears some resemblance to Ephialtes atricapilla, (Temm.,) 

 PL col. 145, but is larger and has only one nuchal collar; the general color above is 

 much darker, and the fulvous coloring of the under parts is also a striking difference. 



Several specimens from South America are in the collection of the Academy. 



I have named this bird in honor of my friend Gavin Watson, M. D., of this city, 

 a gentleman deeply interested in natural history, much attached to the study of the 

 Raptores, and an especial admirer of the Owls. 



Ephialtes sagittatus, nobis.* 

 Plate XII, fig. 2. 



E. supra rufo-castaneo, maculis hastatis aut sagittatis pallidis, nigro circumcincto ; fronte et superciliis albis 

 fuscis minute notatis. Infra valde pallido rufo, lineis transversis angustissimis et maculis irregularibus 

 nigro fuscis, alis caudaque rufo-fuscis, tarsis sordide albis, rostro digitisque fiavis. 



Long. tot. (exuviae) ab apice rostri usque ad finem caudas 10 poll., alse 7, caudas i\ pollices. 



Hab. Malacca. 



Form. — Robust; with the fifth primary slightly longest; central tail feathers 

 longest; tarsi rather slender and sparingly covered with feathers; toes conspicuously 

 scaled in front ; claws long and slender. 



Dimensions.— Total length of skin from tip of bill to end of tail about 10 inches; 

 wing 7 ; tail 4 J inches. 



Colors. — Adult? Entire plumage above rufous brown, inclining to chesnut; 

 plumage of the head with small pale spots encircled with black bordering the shafts 

 of the feathers, and near the tips assuming a hastate or sagittate form; plumage of 

 the back with every feather having about three to five spots of the same description, 

 the arrow-headed shape and black border distinct and well defined, some of these 

 spots nearly white ; every feather also with fine transverse lines and minutely dotted 

 or freckled with black. 



Wing coverts with pale whitish sagittate spots encircled with black. Inferior 

 wing coverts pale fawn yellow, more or less spotted with black, and with their tips 

 broadly terminated with black, which forms thus a conspicuous bar on the under 

 surface of the wing. Outer edge of scapulars nearly white, with black spots. 



* Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, iv. p. 121, Dec. 1848. 



