WHITE-FACED SCOPS OWL. 
125 
heavy ; these disadvantages of shape are further in- 
creased hy the hahits which they all possess of puff- 
ing out their feathers when perched, so that nothing 
is seen of the legs hut part of the toes and claws. 
Like the rest of the homed Owls, which are now 
all comprised in the sub-family Asionince, the one 
before us has no operculum to its otherwise w r ell 
developed ears. The facial disk, however, is so far 
perfect, that it is only interrupted on the chin. 
The aperture of the ears is equal to the size of the 
eyes, while the tail is short and almost even. These 
being likewise the essential characters of the Scops 
Europceus, we place it in the same genus, rather as 
an aberrant than as a typical species, on account of 
the more defined shape of the disk round the eye 
and the longer and stiflfer feathers which compose it. 
In the length, proportion, and disposition of the 
wings, quills, and feet, the two birds perfectly agree. 
The size of the body is about that of a domestic 
pigeon. The ground colour of the upper plumage 
is entirely light grey-brown, without any of those 
rufous or ferruginous spots so usual among the 
species of this family, and which renders their 
description so very difficult. Upon this grey are 
darker variegations, each feather having a blackish 
stripe down the middle, the sides of the stripe being 
undulated, so as to give the appearance of short 
transverse knots ; and these are most observable on 
the wing-covers. There is a broad and conspicuous 
white outer margin on the scapulars, the outer web 
of each feather being white, tipt with black. The 
