NINOX FORBESI, Sclater. 
Forbes’s Hawk-Owl. 
Ninox forbesi, Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1883, p. 52, pi. xL 
The present species, which has been named in honour of Mr. H. O. Forbes, who discovered it in the 
Tenimber Islands, belongs to a little group of Hawk-Owls which have the head uniform. squamipUa of 
Ceram has many points of resemblance to the subject of our present article, but is altogether of a darker 
rufous colour, has the toes scantily feathered, the upper tail-coverts barred with white, and not more than 
seven broad blackish bars on the tail-feathers. Below, both species are similar, but N.forbesi does not have 
the under wing-coverts barred as in N. squamipUa. 
I’he nearest ally of A", forbesi is undoubtedly Ninox liantu of M^allace from Bourou ; but this bird, though 
agreeing in the paler and more cinnamon-rufous colours of the plumage. Is distinguished by its scantily 
feathered toes, which have only a few hair-like bristles. Both species have the under wing-coverts uniform 
like the breast ; but N. hantu is a much darker bird, with broader bars on the tail-feathers and no white on 
the wing-coverts ; the under surface also is more uniform cinnamon-rufous, and does not show the white bars 
which distinguish A^. forbesi. 
Mr. Forbes informs us that he only met with this species on one occasion in Timor Laut, and this was 
during an excursion to the mainland on the 9th of August, 1882. While conducting a palaver with the 
natives to obtain permission to shoot near the village of Loetoe, his native hunters managed to procure a pair 
of this Owl while they were awaiting the result of Mr. Forbes’s negotiations with the villagers. The birds 
were sitting in a thick bushy tree at no great height from the ground. 
The following is a description of the typical specimen figured by Dr. Sclater : — * 
Adult male (type of species). General colour above reddish brown, rather more rufous on the upper 
tail-coverts ; scapulars barred with white or yellowish buff, with narrow cross bars of dusky browii ; wing- 
coverts like the back, the greater series barred with dusky brown and fulvous or white 5 bastard wing like 
the other coverts ; primary-coverts nearly uniform dark brown, with slightly indicated reddish-brown cross 
bars ; quills reddish brown barred with blackish, the interspaces being paler and either fulvous or whitish, 
the inner secondaries less barred ; tail-featbers light rufous-brown, with eleven bars of dusky blackish on the 
centre ones, sixteen on the outer feathers, which show whitish interspaces for more than half of the length 
of the outer web ; head and hind neck more dingy rufous-broAvn than the back, with the colour of which it 
is in slight contrast ; base of forehead and lores white, extending above the fore part of the eye and having 
black shaft-lines ; feathers below the eye and ear-coverts dingy reddish brown, like the head ; base of cheeks 
and base of chin white ; throat and breast tawny rufous, the latter slightly mottled with paler cross bars 
of fulvous or narrower ones of dusky ; abdomen and flanks barred broadly with white and more narrowly 
with dusky brown, the latter wfith a conterminous line of tawny buff ; thighs and under tail-coverts tawny 
rufous, the latter barred with dusky and with broader bands of yellowish white ; under wing-coverts and 
axillaries tawny rufous, the edge of the wing white, the greater series of coverts and the quills below paler 
and more yellowish buff’, more reddish brown towards the end of the quills, which are barred across with 
blackish brown ; “ bill pale corneous ; feet pale yellow, covered with bristly hairs, soles of feet nearly orange ; 
iris rich golden ” {H. 0. Forbes'). Total length 1F5 inches, ciilmen F05, wing 7'4, tail 4’5, tarsus IT. 
The female bird, which was brought over by Mr. Forbes on his return from Timor Laut (too late for us 
to figure on the Plate, which had unfortunately been printed off before Mr. Forbes’s arrival), only differs 
from the male in being paler and in having the breast barred with pale cinnamon like the abdomen, but not 
so broadly. 
The Plate is drawn from the type specimen, which Dr. Sclater was kind enough to lend us, and portrays 
the adult male, of about the full size, in two positions. 
[R. B. S.] 
