CAPRXMULGUS LEOPETES. 



rounded with feathers and fine hairs, the rictus armed with bristles of mo- 

 derate strength ; the crown of the head is rich chesnut, running back 

 in a point, and having the centre of each feather broadly marked with 

 black ; the space between the eyes and bill pale yellowish-white ; the back of 

 head and behind the eyes joining the chesnut nuchal collar is of a pale red- 

 dish-grey tinge ; the centre of the feathers behind the eyes with a narrow 

 triangular black spot, and like the others barred with delicate black fasciae. 

 We have next the chesnut nuchal collar, of a uniform colour at the back 

 of the neck, extending behind the auriculars, and joining on the front 

 of the breast, where each feather is barred with pale black fasciae ; the au- 

 riculars are pale yellowish-white, and a chesnut line with black bars ex- 

 tends from each side of the rictus, joining the same colour of the breast ; 

 the centre of the throat is pure white ; the back is a pale dull chesnut, with 

 the centre of each feather black, and running out into bars on each side ; 

 belly, flanks, and under wing-coverts, pure white ; wings beautifully formed 

 for the downy flight of these birds ; the edges of the inner webs of the quills 

 are more than usually separated, and, when more narrowly examined, run 

 into filiform ends, producing that calm and soundless motion more easily 

 imagined than expressed, almost peculiar to night-feeding birds, and con- 

 stantly found among the Strigidce and our present group : the quills black, 

 the outer webs of the second and third becoming much broader towards the 

 tips, second longest ; the first four have a white bar passing nearly through 

 their centre of about three-eighths of an inch broad ; the shafts of the fea- 

 thers are also black, but become white when passing through the bar, 

 the third and fourth have a round white spot on the inner margins, about 

 an inch below the bar ; the rest of the quills are tipped with white, and 

 barred with pale chesnut and white, the tips and bars becoming broader as 

 they approach the secondaries ; the secondaries are black, with white tips, 

 and large white patches on the inner web, outer web edged with pale 

 chesnut, as they approach the body, the black assumes the form of bars on 

 the inner webs, and the outer become mottled with the chesnut ; the ter- 

 tials are black, with an oval chesnut or whitish spot on the tip of the outer 

 web, the inner with chesnut bars ; the first bastard quill black, with a white 

 spot at the base, another of very pure white, of a crescent shape, reaching 

 to the shaft, on the" outer web. Our specimen has lost two of the centre 

 tail feathers ; but according to Latham, the four centre ones differ from 

 the others, which would make the number 12. In the centre they are very 

 similar to those of our own species C. Unropceus, but of a greyer and more 

 chesnut tinge, marked with large irregular patches, distributed in bars, and 



