Society has lately acquired from Natal a living bird of this widely-
spread species. It is a dark-coloured example, but not more so than
some English specimens that have come under my notice.”
Adult male.—General colour above pale ochreous buff, deeper on
the centre of the back, the centres of the feathers longitudinally
dark brown, producing a broadly streaked appearance, the scapulars
much paler on their outer margins, the brown markings more
irregular and branching into bars, so that the interspaces represent
large ovate spots of whitish buff; wing-coverts rather darker than
the back and more of a reddish ochre, the central markings to the
feathers dark brown as on the back, but more irregular and forming
bars, on the median and greater series more confined to the inner
web, the outer ones having very large and distinct ovate whitish
spots, which are very conspicuous on the wing; primary-coverts
dark brown, with a few rufous ochre spots, principally near the base;
quills rufous ochre, with a whitish tip, inclining also to fulvous near
the base of the outer primaries, all the feathers very plainly
chequered with dark brown bars, which are much narrower on the
inner webs; upper tail-coverts nearly uniform ochraceous, shaded
slightly with brown near the tips; tail-feathers ochraceous tipped with
whitish and crossed with seven brown continuous bars on the centre
feathers, only five in number on thenuterones, where the bars are
much narrower and disappear near' the base; frontal plumes dark
brown narrowly margined with ochraceous ; ruff whitish, slightly
washed with ochre and minutely speckled with triangular spots of
brown; facial aspect dull white, the lores shaded with brown, the
ear-coverts with narrow blackish shaft-lines, all the feathers round
the eye black; ear-tufts 0-5 inches long, resembling the feathers of
the crown; chin whitish; the ruff below extending upwards behind
the ear-coverts ochraceous mottled with dark brown centres to the
feathers ; rest of under surface buflfy white, washed with golden buff
on the breast and sides, the breast feathers streaked with brown
down the centre, these streaks narrowing into linear shaft-lines on
the lower breast and abdomen and disappearing entirely on the legs
and under tail-coverts; under wing-coverts white, very faintly tinged
with ochre, the outer greater coverts blackish, forming the characteristic
spot, the rest of the wing-lining whitish, the secondaries
with obsolete brownish bars, which are nearly absent on the primaries,
these being blackish on tips and only slightly barred with
ochraceous, the outer feathers having a blackish mark about half
way up. Total length, 14 inches; wing, 12-4; tail, 6 '5 ; tarsus,
1-75.
Adult female.—Of the same general appearances and markings as
the male, but always much deeper colour, the under surface being of
a rich ochre. Bands on tail, six on the middle, and four or five on
the outer feathers. Total length, 15’5 inches; wing, 12‘5 ; tail,
6‘7 ; tarsus, I -85.
Fig. Gould, B. Gt. Br. pi. xxxi.
75. S tb ix ca pen s is . South African Grass Owl.
Sir A. Smith says that this Owl is found about Table Mountain,
from which locality we have also obtained one pair ; but the species
is rare, as but" few other examples have occurred to us,
Mr. Atmore writes: “ Blanco, May 25th, 1864. A boy reports
an Owl's nest in a vley near this. It was the"*female of this nest probably
that Tom saw in the clutches of the Crested Eagle. May 26th :
Have visited the Owl's nest and shot the male, (Strix capensis) ;
found three large young ones in the nest just getting quill-feathers,
so they breed early. It is not a rare bird here, but difficult to raise.
It inhabits the wide palmiet vleys." Mr. Henry Bowker obtained this
species at Masura in Moshesh's country and Captain Shelley shot one
near the Hmgeni river. Mr. Ayres has also procured it in Natal, as
well as in the Transvaal territory, where he has found them inhabiting
the long rushes in the swamps surrounding Potchefstroom, but
not plentifully. Mr. T. E. Buckley also procured a male in the
Transvaal, on the 8th of June, 1873 ; it must therefore be widely
distributed.
Upper parts dark brown ; on each feather a white spear-shaped
spot, larger and more distinctly marked as they near the tail. Shoulders
and inside of wings orange, spotted with brown. Sides of neck
and under parts pale reddish-orange, each feather with a light brown,
arrow-headed spot on its tip. Facial disk vinaceous, near the
eye brownish-black, surrounded by a ring of white feathers, tipped
with brown. Tail paler above, here and there barred with brown;
below, nearly white; “ eye black,” (Avres). Length, 17"; wing,
^ 1 " ; tail, 5".
■% Smith, 111. Zool. S. Afr. pi. 45.
G