88 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Small Owls with more or less conspicuous ear -tufts which 

 arise above posterior margin of eyes. Ear comparatively small, 

 oval. 2nd and 3rd primaries (in some American species 3rd to 5th 

 or 6th ; bakkamoena 4th or 4th and 5th) longest. Tail slightly 

 rounded. Feathering more compact than in other European 

 Owls, except Surnia. Toes of European species quite bare, but 

 of Indian and American ones with bristles or scanty feathers. 

 Only one European species, one in Cyprus, others in Indian region 

 and Japan ; Ridgway now recognizes for America alone 12 species 

 with several subspecies. 



OTUS SCOPS 



238. Otus scops scops (L.)— THE SCOPS-OWL. 



Strix Scops Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 92 (1758 — Europe. Re- 

 stricted typical locality : Italy). 

 Scops gin (Scopoli), Yarrell, 1, p. 173 ; Saunders, p. 307. 



Description (Plate 1). — Adult male and female. Winter. — Whole 

 upper-parts varying brownish -grey to rufous -brown, feathers with 

 black-brown shaft-streaks (usually widest on fore-part of crown) and 

 black-brown wavy cross-bars and fine, close vermiculations ; feathers 

 of sides of crown, "horns," nape and upper mantle with conspicuous 

 white, or less conspicuous creamy, subterminal patches divided 

 centrally by dark shaft-streak (giving a somewhat speckled appear- 

 ance) ; on each side of crown behind eye elongated feathers (15-20 

 mm.) forming " horns " ; sides of mantle browner and more inclined 

 to rufous ; outer scapulars with outer webs and often distal part 

 of inner webs, uniform white or cream-buff and with brown-black 

 tips and shaft -streaks, making a conspicuous line of white or creamy- 

 buff oval-shaped marks ; feathers of lores bristle-like white, tipped 

 black ; feathers below and behind eye grey, very finely barred dark 

 grey-brown, these and lores forming a partial disk, feathers above 

 eye being normal ; feathers of " ruff " surrounding lower part of 

 disk tinged rufous and tipped black ; feathers of under -parts with 

 rufous-buff bases (mostly concealed) and white or whitish distal 

 portions with black-brown shaft-streaks (especially wide on sides 

 of breast) and cross-bars and fine wavy vermiculations, latter being 

 sparser on belly and flanks, which show varying amount of white 

 patches on each side of shaft -streaks ; vent without dark markings ; 

 tarsi buff streaked dark brown ; under tail -coverts like flanks but 

 usually with more white and less vermiculations and often with 

 rufous band ; axillaries and under wing-coverts dull white to buff 

 with penultimate marks or wavy bars of rufous and brown, feathers 

 covering base of primaries with long brown tips ; tail-feathers 

 grey-brown to rufous -brown vermiculated black-brown and with 

 rather ill -defined and irregular bars of pale buffish-brown to brownish- 



