BUBONIN^. 139 



The Large Scops Owl. 



Descr. — There are two or three phases of plumage, as well as of 

 size, of this bird, and I am in some doubts if they all belong to the 

 same species. The greyer plumaged ones have usually dark irides, 

 whilst the rufous ones, which I have only obtained from Malabar, 

 have yellow eyes ; but in deference to our received Catalogues, 

 I shall place them together and describe each. 



First the one described by Hodgson as Scops lettia. This one 

 apparently is put down in Bonaparte's Synopsis 2lS Eph. sagittatus,. 

 Cassin,* gymnopodus, Gray, (omitting the synonym of S. bahhcemona 

 from Tennant, which is more likely S. pennatus). Bonaparte gives the 

 wings 7 inches long. Above, pale tawny brown, striped, blotched and 

 vermiculated with black ; beneath rufous grey, or rufescent whitish, 

 with transverse pencillings of blackish; quills, and tail feathers, with 

 from six lo eight dark mottled bars on a tawny buff ground ; disk 

 hoary grey, inclining to buff in some, with brownish marks; 

 ear-tufts variegated, black and reddish grey ; tarsal feathers, 

 barred brown. Bill greenish or bluish horny ; irides dark brown, 

 said to be yellow in the young ; feet fleshy grey. 



Length, 10 inches ; wing, 7f ; extent, 24 ; tail, 3| ; tarsus, 1^. 



Next my S. griseus, lettioides apud Blyth. Differs from the last 

 by its smaller size, and uniformly more grey or cinereous plu- 

 mage, and the tarsal feathers are whitish grey or creamy white, not 

 barred. Its cast of plumage is light cinereous grey, more or less 

 tinted in parts with pale fulvous, and mottled, marbled, and 

 streaked, with various shades of brown ; under plumage very light, 

 with dark shafts and pencillings. Length, 9| inches; wing, 5^ 

 to 6 inches ; tail, 3 ; irides, dark. I have obtained this variety 

 from the forests of the Eastern ghats only. 



Lastly, the Malabar, or rufous variety. This differs from both the 

 others in the prevalent tone of plumage being more or less ferru- 

 ginous or rufous. Above, brown, varied with ferruginous and 

 blackish ; beneath, ferruginous, finely vermiculated with brown, and 

 centred blackish ; quills with well-defined buff bars. Length, 8| to 



* Cassin's figure however more resembles S. rufescens, and Gray's S. gymnopo- 

 dus appears to be a smaller bird. Vide next page. 



