SCOPS. 17 



to consider M. pinosus, Nelson and Palmer, to be another synonym ; but Mr. Eidgway 

 assures us this is not so, and we defer to his opinion with the remark that, in view of 

 the great variation prevalent in this species, the probability of a distinct bird 

 existing in the middle of the range of S. trichopsis is not probable, and until more 

 specimens are obtained its status must be at least doubtful. M. pinosus was founded 

 on a single young bird shot in the upland pine-forest near Las Vigas. Messrs. Nelson 

 and Palmer's description we give below *. 



The range of S. trichopsis extends as far north as the Mexican State of Chihuahua, 

 where McLeod obtained the bird described by Mr. Brewster as M. adspersus ^^. 

 Our specimens came from various parts of the tablelands of Mexico. Sumichrast 



* Megascops pinosus, sp. nov., Nelson & Palmer, Aiik, 1894, p. 39. 



" Type No. 131517, ^ juv., U.S. Nat. Mus. Dept. of Agriculture, Collection from Las Vigas, Vera Cruz, Mexico, 

 June 9, 1893. Collected by E. W. Nelson. (Original No. 1235.) 



" Measurements : wing 132 mm. (5-20 in.) ; tail 61-5 mm. (2-38 in.) ; tarsus 28 mm. (1-18 in.). 



" Colour. — Crown including ear-tufts, neck and back, with upper tail-coverts, dark clove-brown obscurely 

 mottled and faintly barred with dull cinnamon with faint traces of dull greyish. About the neck 

 behind is a narrow collar in which the feathers are distinctly barred with greyish and dull cinnamon. 

 Feathers of chin, cheeks, ear-coverts, lores and sides of forehead greyish white irregularly and finely 

 barred and mottled with blackish-brown. Entire lower surface except chin barred with greyish-white 

 and clove-brown, the white bars being shaded or washed in part, particularly along the flanks, with 

 pale cinnamon. In many instances the brown bars are connected by fine shaft-lines of brown which do 

 not affect the general pattern. The barring on the throat and upper breast is finer or narrower than 

 elsewhere. The rest of under surface has the alternate light and dark bars, three of each on each 

 feather, of equal width and strongly contrasted. This produces a strong pattern of coarse light and dark 

 barring which is quite unlike that of any other member of this group known to us. The feathering of 

 the feet and tarsus is dull greyish mottled with dark brown. Toes scantily feathered. Quills clove- 

 brown, with a series of light semicicular and subquadrate spots along the margin of outer feather. Near 

 the base of outer quills these spots are nearly pure white on some feathers becoming cinnamon towards 

 the tips. On inner quills they are all dull cinnamon. Secondaries and tertials clove-brown with dull 

 cinnamon bars on outer webs, most of these bars being mottled with the ground-colour of the feathers. 

 On inner vanes of quiUs and secondaries the pale spots on outer vanes are matched by indistinct light 

 bars. This mottling mixed with grey extends over most of the surface of innermost tertials. Large quiU 

 of alula bordered with fine white edging connecting three pure white spots on outer web. Both webs of 

 second quill of alula and inner web of larger quill with three spots of dull cinnamon. Lesser and middle 

 coverts smoke-brown with faint mottling of cinnamon. Greater coverts clove-brown, bordered along 

 outer vane by mottling and spots of greyish and dull cinnamon. Tail, colour of quUls, narrowly barred 

 with broken lines and mottling of pale cinnamon. 



" Unfortunately the only specimen of this bird in the collection is immature. It is very different in the 

 character of its markings from the young of any other known Megascops. The specimen was killed in the 

 pines at the north-east base of the Cofre de Perote, near Las Vigas, in Vera Cruz, at an altitude of over 

 8000 feet." {Nelson Sf Palmer, I. s. c.) 



Concerning this bird, Mr. Eidgway informs us by letter that, " Although a young bird, it certainly belongs 

 to a very distinct species. It cannot possibly belong to any of the known forms. It is extremely dark (darker 

 than S. Jcennicotti), and is very remarkable for the great breadth of the dark blackish-brown bands across the 

 lower parts, which average quite '15 in. in width, making them appear disproportionately wide, the bird being 

 no larger than S. trichopsis. It may possibly prove to be a very dark local race of S. trichopsis." 



BIOL. CENTE.-AMEE., Aves, Vol. III., JS^ovember 1897. 3 



