184 STRIGES. 



Mr. Ringer) which was shot on one of the Goto Islands, a group 

 which lies only about fifty miles to the west of Nagasaki (Gurney, 

 Ibis, 1886, p. 524). 



The range of the Eagle-Owl extends from the British Islands, 

 where it is now only an occasional visitor, across Europe and Asia 

 to the confines of Japan. 



162. BUBO BLAKISTONI. 



(BLAKISTON'S EAGLE-OWL.) 



Bubo Uakistoni, Seebohm, Pioc. Zool. Soc. 1883, p. 466; Seebohm, Ibis, 1884, 

 p. 42. ■ 



Blakiston's Eagle-Owl is probably the largest Owl known (wing from 

 carpal joint 22 inches). Its tarsus is feathered, but its feet are 

 bare. It has very conspicuous ear-tufts. 



Eigures : Seebohm, Ibis, 1884, pi. 6. 



Blakiston's Eagle-Owl is only known from the island of Yezzo, 

 where it is a resident. It had long been confounded with the Eagle- 

 Owl of Europe, Bubo maximus, until in 1883 Captain Blakiston sent 

 an example to London for identification, when it was found to be an 

 undescribed species. The type is in the British Museum, and I 

 have a second example, to which I am indebted to the kindness of 

 Captain Blakiston, in my collection. There is a fine example in the 

 Norwich Museum, which also possesses a skeleton of this interesting 

 species. On the 20th of January, 1887, two live specimens were 

 presented to the Zoological Society by Mr. J. H. Leech, who pro- 

 cured them from Mr. Henson at Hakodadi. They came from the 

 Lake district twenty miles north of that port (Sclater, Proc. Zool. 

 Soc. 1887, p. 138). 



The afiinities of Buho blakisfoni have been supposed to he with the 

 subgenei'ic group of Eagle-Owls which was called Pseudoptynx by 

 Kaup (Gurney, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1887, p. 138). This group is re- 

 presented by two species from the Philippine Islands, and is supposed 

 to be characterized by the absence of feathering on the toes. It is 

 highly improbable that a subgenus should be represented in Yezzo 

 and the Philippine Islands and not in Formosa or Southern Japan. 

 The feathering of the toes varies so much in the allied genus Scops 

 that it can scarcely be regarded as of much taxonomie value ; and it 



