BIROX FOKBESI, SdaU r.
NINOX FORBESI , Sclater.
Forbes’s Hawk-Owl.
Ninox forbesi, Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1883, p. 52, pi. xi.
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. N . squamipila of
Ceram has many points of resemblance to the subject o f our present article, but is altogether o f 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 . squamipila.
The nearest ally o f N . forbesi is undoubtedly Ninox bantu of Wallace from Bourou 5 but this bird, though
agreeing in the paler and more cinnamon-rufous colours o f the plumage, is distinguished by its scantily
feathered toes, which have ouly a few hair-like bristles. Both species have the under wing-coverts uniform
like the breast; but N . bantu 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 N . 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 o f August, 1882. While conducting a palaver with the
natives to obtain permission to shoot near the village o f Loetoe, his native hunters managed to procure apair
o f this Owl while they were awaiting the result o f 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 o f 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 brown; wmg-
coverts like the back, the greater series barred with dusky brown and fulvous or white; 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-feathers light rufous-brown, with eleven bars o f dusky blackish on the
centre ones, sixteen on the outer feathers, which show whitish interspaces for more than half o f the length
o f the outer web; head and hind neck more dingy rufous-brown than the back, with the colour of which it
is in slight contrast; base o f forehead and lores white, extending above the fore part o f 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 o f chin white; throat and breast tawny rufous, the latter slightly mottled with paler cross bars
o f fulvous or narrower ones o f dusky ; abdomen and flanks barred broadly with white and more narrowly
with dusky brown, the latter with a conterminous line of tawny buff; thighs and under tail-coverts tawny
rufous, the latter barred with dusky and with broader bands o f yellowish white 5 under wing-coverts and
axillaries tawny rufous, the edge of the wing white, the greater series o f coverts and the quills below paler
and more yellowish buff, more reddish brown towards the end o f 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 11*5 inches, culmen l -05, wing 7 ’4, tail 4*5, tarsus 1*1.
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, o f about the full size, in two positions.
[R. B. S.]