124 STUIGIDjE. 



silky feathers, becoming naked towards the feet, where the 

 flesh red shows through the dirty hairs that sprinkle them ; 

 the appearance resembles most of all the odious legs of a 

 hairy spider. The dusky claws are thin and much pointed, 

 the middle claw has a comb-like ridge on the inner side. 

 The tarsus measures two inches and a half, the middle toe 

 and claw one inch and a quarter in length, the hinder 

 one inch. 



The ground colour of the upper plumage of this owl is 

 sienna yellow, the tips of the feathers beautifully pencilled 

 with dark purple. The feathers of the disk or face are white, 

 the eyes are surrounded by a rust-coloured halo which extends 

 downwards to the beak. The small stiff feathers which form 

 the frame are rufous and dark brown. The throat and all the 

 under parts are white tinged with ochreous yellow, sparingly 

 spotted with dark brown drop-shaped spots near the tips 

 of the feathers. The top of the head, nape, shoulders, and the 

 whole back are blushed over as it were with pale ash grey, 

 which appearance is caused by the tips of the yellow feathers 

 being pencilled with that colour. The shoulder-feathers and 

 wing-coverts are beautifully ornamented with one or more 

 pearl-like white spots, bordered with black, and appearing 

 like beads strung together. The larger quills are buff yellow 

 on the outer webs, paler on the inner, and terminating in 

 broad white edges ; these are barred with black and white 

 freckled spaces. The tail is yellow, tipped with white, and 

 spotted and barred with black. The soft feathering on the 

 legs is faint rust-colour or white ; the under wing-coverts 

 pale rufous yellow, spotted with dark brown ; the quills on 

 the inner surface are yellowish white ; towards the extremity 

 the dark bars show faintly through. 



The male and female are in outward appeal ance very much 

 alike, the latter is more plump and darker coloured. Young 

 birds are paler in colour, the lower parts being less tinged 

 with yellow. Some varieties of this bird have been recorded, 

 the most remarkable are one which was pied yellow and 



