Chapter XIII: Preface (12)

Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Cebu (Bourns & Worcester);
Luzon (Heriot, Whitehead, McGregor, Worcester); Mindanao (Everett,
Goodfellow); Mindoro (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Negros (Layard,
Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen, Steere
Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester);
Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester); Sulu
(Platen, Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester). Malay
Peninsula, Burmese provinces, Himalayas, Ceylon, southern Indian
Peninsula, Greater Sunda Islands to New Guinea and New Britain.

"Adult female.--Above black, with a slight slaty gray shade, more distinct on the lower back, rump, and tail, the bars on the latter being obsolete; cheeks and ear-coverts entirely black, like head; under surface of body uniform bright chestnut; throat and sides of neck creamy white, the latter with a slight wash of chestnut; under wing-coverts chestnut like breast, some of the lower ones barred with black; primaries black, with a few rufous bars near the base. Cere, orbits, and feet yellow; bill bluish black, yellow at base; iris dark brown. Length, 343; culmen, 24; wing, 231; tail, 117; tarsus, 36.

"Adult male.--Similar to, but smaller than the female. Length, 297; wing, 216; tail, 114; tarsus, 29.

"Young.--Similar to the adult, but the breast covered with median tear-shaped black spots on each feather, the tail broadly banded and tipped with rufous, as also are the primaries; nape slightly varied with rufous; throat purer white than in adult." (Sharpe.)

"A very rapid flyer and usually seen on the wing. Much detested by Spaniards and natives on account of its depredations on their dovecotes and poultry yards." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Genus CERCHNEIS Boie, 1826.

Smaller than Falco but tail slightly graduated or wedge-shaped and actually longer than in the peregrines; wing pointed, first primary a trifle longer than fourth and decidedly shorter than third, the second longest; tarsus feathered for a short distance in front, the bare portions covered with hexagonal scales, large in front, small on lateral and posterior aspects.

202. CERCHNEIS TINNUNCULUS (Linnæus).

KESTREL.

Falco tinnunculus Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 90.
Cerchneis tinnuncula Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 425.
Cerchneis tinnunculus Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 276; Oates,
Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 308; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 45.

Luzon (Whitehead); Palawan (White). Europe and northern Asia;
in winter, Africa and the Indian Peninsula.

"Adult male.--Upper parts brick-red, with a few arrow-head markings of black, larger on the inner secondaries; primary-coverts and quills dark brown, the former narrowly margined with rufous, the primaries notched with white for about two-thirds of their length, the inner primaries and outer secondaries narrowly edged and tipped with buffy white; head and neck clear blue-gray, with narrow black shaft-stripes; forehead and narrow eyebrow buffy white; cheeks silvery gray, inclining to blackish below the eye and on the fore part of cheeks, forming a tolerably distinct moustache; lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail clear blue-gray, the latter tipped with ashy white, before which is a broad subterminal band of black; throat and under tail-coverts buff, unspotted; remainder of under surface rufous-fawn; the chest-feathers mesially streaked with black, these dark centers being larger and more oval in shape on flank-feathers; thighs clear rufous unspotted; under wing-coverts white, spotted with black. Bill bluish horn-color, black at tip, yellowish at base; cere, orbits, and feet yellow; iris brown. Length, 317; culmen, 44; wing, 234; tail, 170; tarsus, 41.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male underneath but not so deeply colored. Upper surface entirely rufous, banded with black, with a faint bluish shade on the rump; upper tail-coverts inclining to buff; head rufous, streaked with black; tail rufous, banded with black, the bars not being strictly continuous, tipped with buffy white, before which is a conspicuous broad band of black; facial features and soft parts as in the male. Length, 317; culmen, 19; wing, 234; tail, 165; tarsus, 41.

"Young male.--Resembling the old female but rather paler and more distinctly striped on the breast. The tail first changes, becoming blue like that of the old male; and thus birds are often seen in partial plumage, having the blue tail of the adult male, but retaining the rufous head of the old female dress." (Sharpe.)

Suborder PANDIONES.

This suborder with a single family of two genera is distinguished from the suborder Accipitres by having the outer toe reversible; in addition to this the claws are very greatly curved and the under side of each claw is rounded instead of being grooved or concave as in the hawks and eagles.

Family PANDIONIDÆ.

Characters same as those given for the Suborder.

Genera.

a1. Smaller; front of tarsus covered with small imbricated scales. ... Pandion (p. 245) a2. Larger; part of tarsus covered with large transverse plates. ... Polioaëtus (p. 247)

Genus PANDION Savigny, 1809.

Bill slightly compressed; width of upper mandible at nostril more than its depth; primaries abruptly and deeply cut on inner web and exceeding secondaries by more than length of tarsus; back of tarsus covered with small scales like those in front.

Species.

a1. Much larger; wing, about 500 mm. ... haliætus (p. 245) a2. Much smaller; wing, 460 mm. or less. ... leucocephalus (p. 246)

203. PANDION HALIÆTUS (Linnæus).

EUROPEAN OSPREY.

Falco haliætus Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 91.
Pandion haliaëtus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 449;
Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 315; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 45.

Luzon (Worcester, Whitehead); Mindoro (Everett, McGregor,
Whitehead); Palawan (Whitehead). Eastern hemisphere.

"Adult.--Above brown, most of the feathers with obsolete margins of paler brown, more distinct on the wing-coverts; primaries black, secondaries brown like the back, the primaries pale, but uniform whity brown below, the secondaries whitish on the inner web, with indistinct bars of ashy brown; tail almost uniform brown, tipped with whity brown, and shaded with ashy externally, the inner web obsoletely barred with ashy brown, a little more distinct below, where the interspaces are whitish; head brown, with white bases to the feathers; a broad white streak from behind the eye running down the sides of the neck; ear-coverts blackish brown; sides of neck uniform with the back; sides of face and entire under parts white, the breast varied with brown centers to the feathers of more or less extent, the chin and fore part of cheeks also slightly streaked with dark brown; axillars and a few of the flank-feathers also marked with rufous-brown like the breast; under wing-coverts buffy white, with dark brown centers, the outermost almost entirely brown, with whitish tips. Cere blue; bill black; feet blue; iris yellow. Length, 610; culmen, 44; wing, 503; tail, 241; tarsus, 61.

"Young.--Glossy chocolate-brown, all the feathers terminally margined with buffy white, these margins somewhat tinged with rufous, and broadest on the secondary quills and upper tail-coverts; crown of head black, with white or fulvous margins to the feathers, giving a distinctly streaked appearance; nape white, not streaked; from behind the eye a broad line of white runs down the side of the neck, slightly streaked with black; below this another line of black feathers, including the ear-coverts, is conterminous; sides of face and entire under parts pure white, somewhat tinged here and there with yellowish buff; under wing-coverts white, the outer ones strongly washed with tawny-buff, and crossed with broad bars of dark brown; primaries black, secondaries chocolate-brown like the back, and tipped in the same manner, all of them whitish at base of inner web, indistinctly barred with pale brown; tail-feathers alternately barred with dark sepia-brown and ashy brown, tipped with whitish, and having whitish shafts; the bars six in number, and more distinct on the inner web, which is buffy white.

"Nestling.--Covered with down of a sooty-brown color, except along the center of the back, along the carpal bend of the wing, on the breast and flanks, where it is dusky white; all the feathers of the back are dark brown, with a broad tip of ochraceous-buff; crown and ear-coverts blackish; eyebrow and throat white.

"Observation.--Ospreys seem to get whiter on the head with age; but the mottling on the breast is at present unintelligible to me. It appears to be strongly marked in all old birds; but the brown centers to the feathers, which give the bird its mottled appearance, are never exactly similar, there being a continued alteration in the pattern of the feather itself. At the same time two young birds, distinguished by the fulvous margins to the upper surface, have not a similar amount of brown on the breast; for in one it is almost entirely absent, while the other has very few markings indeed. The tail becomes more uniform brown with age, so that a strongly barred tail is a sure sign of immaturity." (Sharpe.)

204. PANDION LEUCOCEPHALUS Gould.

AUSTRALIAN OSPREY.

Pandion leucocephalus Gould, Syn. Birds Austr. (1838), pt. 3,
pl. 6; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 451; Hand-List
(1899), 1, 279; North, Catal. Austral. Bds. ed. 2 (1898), pt. 1,
70; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 317; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 45.

Balabac (Everett); Luzon (Worcester); Marinduque (Steere Exp.);
Palawan (White). Australia and Austro-Malayan Islands.

"Similar to P. haliætus, but very much smaller; cere bluish lead-color; bill black; feet pale bluish white; iris primrose-yellow in some, bright orange in others. Length, 508; wing, 414. A specimen killed by Mr. Wallace in New Guinea had the wing 432 long." (Sharpe.)

"Adult.--Upper surface of body, wings, and tail, glossy brown, the feathers mesially shaded with a darker tint, many of the feathers of the interscapular region, back, scapulars, and shoulders margined with white; primaries blackish brown, black at the tip past the notch, the inner web becoming white on the margin toward the base, some showing remains of brown bars; a few of the inner primaries, some of the adjacent secondaries and wing-coverts, narrowly margined with buffy white; under surface of the wings white, the outer series of the under coverts blotched with brown; feathers along the outer margin of the wing from elbow to base of primaries, dark brown margined with white, under surface of the secondaries and of the primaries past the notch ashy brown, the basal marginal portion of the inner webs white, barred down the center portion with brown; head, throat, and back of the neck white, a few feathers on the nape having a streak of blackish brown down the center; lores blackish lead-color; ear-coverts blackish brown, which color extends on to the sides of the neck, where the feathers are brown margined with white; chest, breast, and lower part of hind neck white, much mottled with brown on the tips of the feathers, and occasionally centered with a blackish stripe; the remainder of the under surface, thighs, and tail-coverts white; tail above brown, feathers narrowly margined at the tips with white, the inner webs of a lighter brown, all except the two center quills broadly margined and toothed with white toward the base; under surface of tail ashy white, tips of the feathers ashy margined with white. Bill black; legs and feet lead-blue; iris yellow. Length, 760; wing, 508; tail, 228; tarsus, 63; bill, 43; [27] from nostril, 30; culmen, 49.

"Observation.--In some specimens, apparently fully adult, the whole of breast, chest, and sides of the neck are strongly mottled with brown, and the feathers centered with a blackish stripe; the under wing-coverts are barred with brown; the scapulars, upper wing-coverts, and quills scarcely if at all margined with white; in others the whole of the head and neck, except the ear-coverts and sides of the neck immediately behind them, is white, without any brown markings, and the dull brown of the chest takes no definite form, but is for the most part darkest on the center of the feathers." (North.)

Genus POLIOAËTUS Kaup, 1847.

Bill decidedly compressed, width of upper mandible at nostril less than its depth; primaries obliquely and slightly cut on inner web and exceeding secondaries by less than tarsus; back of tarsus smooth with plate divisions obsolete.

205. POLIOAËTUS ICHTHYÆTUS (Horsfield).

GRAY-HEADED FISH EAGLE.

Falco ichthyætus Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1821), 13,
pt. 1, 136.
Polioaetus ichthyaetus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1874),
1, 452.
Polioaëtus ichthyaëtus Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 279; Oates,
Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 217; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 45.

Basilan (Bourns & Worcester); Bongao (Everett); Calamianes
(Bourns & Worcester); Luzon (Whitehead); Mindanao (Steere Exp.,
Celestino); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Keay);
Samar (Whitehead). Malay and Indian Peninsulas, Burmese provinces,
Greater Sunda Islands, Celebes, Ceylon.

"Adult male.--Above brown, paler on the interscapulary region and darker on the wings, primaries blackish; under surface of wing leaden brown, with a whitish spot at base of primaries; tail white, with a broad terminal bar of brown; entire head and neck all round clear ashy gray; breast brown, a little lighter than the back; belly, vent, thighs, lower flanks, and under tail-coverts pure white; under wing-coverts uniform ashy brown. Cere and bill blackish; feet dirty yellowish white; iris brown. Length, 660; culmen, 58; wing, 457; tail, 254; tarsus, 95.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male but larger. Length, 737; wing, 518; tarsus, 99.

"Young.--Above brown, glossed with chocolate, most of the feathers of the upper surface with paler brown margins; feathers of the head and hind neck mesially streaked with fulvous; sides of face a little paler than the head, but streaked in the same manner; under surface of body pale brown, inclining to rufous, and longitudinally streaked with whitish down the center; thighs white, much mottled with rufous-brown; lower abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts pure white; under wing-coverts pale brown, plainly streaked with white, the greater series almost entirely white, with a few brown markings; quills brown, white at base of inner web, the white extending further on secondaries; which have ashy brown cross-bars; tail fulvous brown, mottled all over with dark brown, except at the tip, which is uniform dark brown, forming a very distinct band.

"The bird above described, though full grown, is evidently immature as regards its plumage. The second stage is very similar to the adult, but is by no means so gray on the head and throat." (Sharpe.)

"Less common than Haliæetus leucogaster but frequents the same localities. Quite abundant at Lake Naujan in Mindoro." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

A few individuals were seen near the Baco River in Mindoro and Celestino took a pair of young birds in northern Mindanao.

Order STRIGIFORMES.

OWLS.

Head large and round; bill strongly hooked and with a cere which is more or less hidden by stiffish bristles; eyes large, directed forward, each surrounded by a more or less perfect ruff of modified, close-textured feathers; in most species a bunch of elongate erectile feathers above each eye forming the so-called horns or ear-tufts; feet strong, claws curved and sharp; outer toe reversible; plumage soft and fluffy; colors generally various shades of brown, gray, and rufous and in most species vermiculated and streaked, the plumage resembling that of the Caprimulgidæ; habits nocturnal, or crepuscular, and insectivorous; eggs white, nearly globular, usually deposited in a hole in a hollow branch or trunk of a tree, or in a deserted hawk's nest.

Families.

a1. Claw of middle toe not pectinate; middle toe longer than inner toe. ... Strigidæ (p. 249) a2. Claw of middle toe pectinate on inner margin; inner and middle toes about equal in length. ... Aluconidæ (p. 271)

Family STRIGIDÆ.

Characters same as those given in the key to Families.

Subfamilies.

a1. Ear-conch not larger than eye and without an operculum; portion of facial disk below the eye greater than the area above the eye. ... Buboninæ (p. 249) a2. Ear-conch much larger than eye and with a large operculum; facial disk distinct and extending as far above as below the eye. ... Striginæ (p. 270)

Subfamily BUBONINÆ.

Genera.

a1. Toes without bristles.

b1. Larger; wing, 230 mm. or more, but relatively shorter, falling
short of the end of tail. ... Pseudoptynx (p. 249)
b2. Smaller; wing, 220 mm. or less, but relatively longer, when
folded reaching nearly or quite to tip of tail. ... Otus (p. 252)

a2. Toes scantily clothed with rather stiff bristles. ... Ninox (p. 260)

Genus PSEUDOPTYNX Kaup, 1848.

Large; ear-tufts moderate; primaries but little longer than secondaries; plumage full and streaked; legs closely feathered to the toes; toes naked.

Species.

a1. Larger; wing, 330 to 380 mm.

b1. Smaller and lighter; wing, about 350 mm. ... philippensis
(p. 250)
b2. Larger and darker; wing, about 375 mm. ... mindanensis (p. 251)

a2. Smaller and darker; wing, about 235. ... gurneyi (p. 250)

206. PSEUDOPTYNX PHILIPPENSIS Kaup.

LUZON HORNED OWL.

Pseudoptynx philippensis Kaup, Cont. Orn. (1852), 117.
Bubo philippinensis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1875), 2, 43.
Pseudoptynx philippensis Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875), 9,
pt. 2, 144, pl. 25, fig. 2; Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 284;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.
Bubo philippensis Grant, Ibis (1894), 503.

Luzon (Cuming, Heriot, Möllendorff, Steere Exp., Whitehead,
McGregor).

"Adult (type of species).--Above tawny-rufous, the feathers mesially dark brown, giving a closely striped appearance; the wing-coverts rather darker, some of the scapulars and greater-coverts externally creamy buff, forming a kind of longitudinal bar down the latter; entire head and auricular-tufts colored like the back, but somewhat more narrowly streaked; quills dull brown, tipped with fulvous, more plainly on the secondaries, the primaries spotted on the outer and barred on the inner web with pale tawny-rufous, the bars more distinct on the secondaries; tail-feathers dull brown, tipped with fulvous and crossed with a few bars of tawny-buff, the middle feathers nearly uniform, with only one bar and indications of a second, the bars gradually increasing in number toward the outer tail-feather, which has five bars on the inner web, and is externally tawny-buff; lores white, the anterior bristles black toward tip; sides of face tawny, with white shafts; facial disk tawny, with central streaks of brown to the feathers, which are fulvous at base; under surface of body buffy white, longitudinally streaked with dark brown centers to the feathers, each mesial streak having a narrow edging of rufous on each side, and decreasing in width toward the abdomen and under tail-coverts, the tarsal feathers entirely uniform; under wing-coverts buffy white, the outermost longitudinally spotted with dark brown, the greater series whitish at base, brown at tip, resembling the inner lining of the wing. Bill horn-blue at base, yellow at tip; feet fleshy brown, claws light horn-color. Length, 546; auricular-tufts, 33; culmen, 58; wing, 356; tail, 178; tarsus, 68." (Sharpe.)

An adult male was taken near Irisan, Benguet Province, Luzon. Iris yellow; bill pale horn-blue, cere similar but darker; feet pale dingy blue; nails blackish. Length, 483; wing, 350; tail, 185; culmen from base, 47; tarsus, 77.

207. PSEUDOPTYNX GURNEYI Tweeddale.

GURNEY'S HORNED OWL.

Pseudoptynx gurneyi Tweeddale, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1878), 940,
pl. 58; Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 284; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 46.

Mindanao (Everett).

Adult male.--"Sides of face bright pure unmarked rufous; lengthened stiff plumes springing from base of maxilla rufous, mixed with tawny, and many with dark brown shafts and tipped with dark brown; space above front of eyes, uniting on forehead and extending back over eyes, pale tawny-rufous; crown and occiput dark rufous, many of the feathers with a broad dark brown mesial stripe; nape and sides of neck pure rufous; lengthened ear-tufts rufous, some with very narrow brown mesial linear markings near their apices; plumes bordering facial disk albescent tawny, some almost pure white, tipped with dark brown; chin and upper throat tawny-rufous; middle of throat white; breast and remainder of lower surface pure rufous, more dilute on lengthened tibial plumes and under tail-coverts; a few pectoral plumes with large, dark brown, terminal drops; many abdominal plumes, with elongated dark brown, central stripes; back rufous, minutely freckled with brown, each feather with a bold, irregular, dark brown central stripe; scapulars like back, but some of the shorter and outer ones albescent tawny on outer webs; dark brown central marks so arranged that the back, together with the scapulars, appears to have three parallel dark brown stripes running down it; rump and upper tail-coverts rufous brown, with darker shafts; rectrices brown, minutely freckled with pale rufous, and with eight or nine rufous cross-bands; lesser and median wing-coverts brown, freckled with rufous, each with a narrow central brown line; greater coverts brown on inner web, freckled with rufous on outer web; quills brown, alternately banded with freckled brown and pale rufous; tertiaries pure rufous, with traces of dark brown along the shafts; edge of wing white; lining yellowish white; some of the under carpal coverts rufous; thigh and tarsal coverts pale rufous and tawny white. 'Iris warm brown; bill grayish white; feet pale gray; claws white tipped with dark gray.' (Everett.) Wing, 236; tarsus, 46; culmen without cere, 28; middle toe, 35." (Tweeddale.)

This species differs from P. philippensis in its smaller size, more rufous under surface, darker upper surface, and finer dark markings of the mantle.

208. PSEUDOPTYNX MINDANENSIS Grant.

MINDANAO HORNED OWL.

Pseudoptynx mindanensis Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1906), 16,
99; Ibis (1906), 496.

Mindanao (Goodfellow).

Adult male.--"Nearly allied to P. philippensis, from which it differs in being somewhat larger and in the following points: General color of upper parts much darker, the feathers being brownish black, and rather narrowly margined with sandy rufous, instead of bright tawny-buff; primary quills dark brown, with only faint traces of buff markings; secondaries similar with faintly indicated grayish buff transverse markings; tail-feathers brown, with whitish or whitish buff transverse markings, rather faintly indicated on outer webs; under parts more heavily streaked with blackish. 'Iris light brownish gold; bill whitish toward the tip, bluish gray at base; feet pale gray; nails white at base, gray at tip.' (Goodfellow.) Length, about 495; culmen, 51; wing, 371; tail, 185; tarsus, 76." (Grant.)

Genus OTUS Pennant, 1769.

Small; ear-tufts well developed; primaries not greatly exceeding secondaries; plumage buffy and mottled; tarsus more or less feathered; toes naked in Philippine species.

Species.

a1. Tarsus feathered nearly to the toes.

b1. Plumage without many fine vermiculations.

c1. Darker above.

d1. Above very dark or deep rich brown.

e1. Head and neck not heavily streaked with blackish brown.

f1. Larger.

g1. Wing of male about 165 mm. ... everetti (p. 253)
g2. Wing of male about 185 mm. ... whiteheadi (p. 256)

f2. Smaller ... boholensis (p. 260); fuliginosus (p. 254)

e2. Head and neck heavily streaked with blackish brown; wing,
160 mm; tail, 75 ... romblonis (p. 259)

c2. Lighter above.

d1. Above light rufous-fawn. ... megalotis (p. 252)
d2. Above bright tawny-rufous. ... rufescens (p. 256)

b2. Plumage with many fine vermiculations.

c1. Smaller, wing about 150 mm. ... sibutuensis (p. 254)
c2. Larger, wing about 165 mm. or more.

d1. Head and neck heavily streaked with blackish
brown. ... cuyensis (p. 257)
d2. Head and neck finely mottled with blackish
brown. ... calayensis (p. 258)

a2. Tarsus feathered for proximal half only.

b1. Larger; rictal bristles and ear-tufts longer. ... longicornis
(p. 255)
b2. Smaller; rictal bristles and ear-tufts shorter. ... mindorensis
(p. 256)

209. OTUS MEGALOTIS (Gray).

CUMING'S SCREECH OWL.

Scops megalotis Gray, Cat. Acciptr. Brit. Mus. (1844), 45; Sharpe,
Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1875), 2, 69; Hand-List (1899), 1, 285.
Lempijius ? megalotis Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875), 9, 145,
pl. 25, fig. 3.
Otus megalotis McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.

Luzon (Cuming).

"Adult (type of species).--Everywhere light rufous-fawn, with separate vermiculations of dull blackish, a little coarser on the auricular-tufts and on the wing-coverts, almost obsolete on the under surface of body; tarsal feathers fulvous, slightly mottled with rufous; greater and primary wing-coverts rufous-fawn color, very coarsely and thickly vermiculated with blackish, forming five or six indistinct bars; quills blackish, with six or seven bars of fawn-color, very distinct on the outer primaries, but gradually becoming more and more obscured with blackish frecklings till the bands are obsolete on the secondaries; tail blackish, with six or seven bars of fawn-color, more or less obscured with frecklings of blackish, which are plentifully distributed over the whole tail; under wing-coverts uniform fulvous; the under surface of the wing ashy brown, with bands of fulvous. Bill pale horn-color, yellowish on under mandible; feet yellowish brown. Length, 279; culmen, 33; auricular tufts, 37; wing, 165; tail, 89; tarsus, 37." (Sharpe.)

The type, secured by Cuming in "Manila," is the only known specimen.

210. OTUS EVERETTI (Tweeddale).

EVERETT'S SCREECH OWL.

Scops everetti Tweeddale, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1878), 492; Sharpe,
Hand-List (1899), 1, 287.
Otus everetti McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.

Basilan (Everett); Mindanao (Everett); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen);
Samar (Steere Exp.).

Description.--"May be described as being a large form of Scops [=Otus] lempiji as it occurs in Java. Above it has the deep rich brown coloring of the Javan species; the same broad dark brown mark in the form of a parallelogram on the head and nape; the same pale colored forehead, stripe above each eye and round the nape, and the broad dark stripe leading from behind the eye, and including most of the ear-tufts; there are no pale uniform tawny or fulvous scapulars. Underneath, the markings differ from those of the Javan bird by being more confused, and by the absence of regular dark brown cross-markings on the abdominal plumes. The general coloring of the under surface is of a ruddier brown. Male: 'Iris deep brown; feet whitish.' (Everett.) Wing, 165; tail, 89; tarsus, 30; culmen, 16. Female: 'Iris warm brown; bill pale greenish leaden, nearly white; feet whitish gray; claws dark gray.' (Everett.) Wing, 171; tail, 92; tarsus, 30; culmen, 17." (Tweeddale.)

"A single male specimen, secured in Palawan, measured 203 in length; wing, 137; tail, 73; culmen, 15; tarsus, 29; middle toe and claw, 26. Bill pale horn, darkest at base; feet dirty white; nails black at tip, gray at base; food insects. This specimen started within a meter of the head of the collector, and flew less than three meters before alighting.

"If S. everetti is a smaller race of S. lempiji it is hard to understand the above measurements. We were at first inclined to identify our Palawan specimen with the latter species, but after comparison with Dr. Steere's specimen of S. everetti from Samar, find ourselves unable to do so." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

211. OTUS FULIGINOSUS (Sharpe).

PALAWAN SCREECH OWL.

Scops fuliginosa Sharpe, Ibis (1888), 197; Hand-List (1899),
1, 287.
Scops everetti Whitehead, Ibis (1893), 44.
Otus fuliginosus McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.

Palawan (Whitehead).

Diagnosis.--Similar to Otus umbratilis but much smaller, and entirely rich brown; vermiculated and spotted as in typical Otus but auricular region uniform rufous-brown; and with frontal and cervical bands pale and obsolete. [28]

Whitehead, who collected the type, refers this species to Scops (=Otus) everetti and says: "I find that Mr. Sharpe has not much faith in his Scops fuliginosa, which in all probability is only the young of S. everetti." Sharpe retains the species in his "Hand-List" and therefore it is given here.

212. OTUS SIBUTUENSIS (Sharpe).

SIBUTU SCREECH OWL.

Scops sibutuensis Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1893), 2, 9;
Ibis (1894), 244; Hand-List (1899), 1, 287.
Otus sibutuensis McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.

Sibutu (Everett).

Diagnosis.--Similar to Otus mantananensis but upper side of wings scarcely spotted with white and quills but faintly banded below. "Bill blackish brown; feet brown; iris yellow." (Everett.) Length, 203; wing, 152. [29]

Everett collected an adult male and female and a young bird in Sibutu. Sharpe makes the following observations: "This race is intermediate between S. menadensis [from Celebes] and S. mantananensis [from Mantanani Island, Borneo] which I described last year; the white wing markings, however, are altogether smaller and not so distinct, the under surface of the quills being almost devoid of markings. From S. menadensis the Sibutu bird differs in having all the markings of the upper surface very fine and not all over as in that species. The quills have also more bars in the Celebean bird than in the species from Sibutu."

213. OTUS LONGICORNIS (Grant).

LONG-HORNED SCREECH OWL.

Scops longicornis Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. (1894), 3, 51;
Ibis (1894), 504; (1895), 439; Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 287;
McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1904), 3, 7.
Otus longicornis McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.

Bang-aó, Benguet.

Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor).

Adult male.--Upper parts bright rufous, the feathers with streaks and irregular bars of blackish brown, mostly near their tips; forehead, line over each eye, and complete collar white, the feathers blackish at their tips; collar narrow but distinct on hind neck, wider on breast; loral plumes with white bars and black tips, the longest plumes about 28 mm.; ear-tufts colored like the head, longest feathers 31 mm.; ear-coverts barred with white, blackish brown, and rufous; chin whitish; throat and sides of throat white, each feather with a black tip and subterminal rufous line; breast rich rufous boldly mottled with black and less white; abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts largely white, the feathers mottled with blackish and rusty brown; thighs rufous; wings blackish, mottled and speckled with fulvous and rusty brown, tail similar. Bill dingy dull green, tip and cutting edge dark brown; cere dirty flesh at base but dull yellowish green over nostrils; legs whitish flesh; nails gray; iris bright yellow. Length, 184; wing, 145; tail, 72; culmen from base, 17; tarsus, 33.

Adult female.--Similar to the male. Length, 190; wing, 153; tail, 71; culmen from base, tip broken, 18; tarsus, 30.

Downy young.--The natal down is pure light gray; this soon gives place to a soft gray plumage barred with brown, darker on head and upper parts. A nest with three downy young was found in Benguet, Luzon, on May 26.

"A single male specimen of this remarkable little owl was obtained. It most nearly resembles Scops pennatus, but may be instantly recognized by having the basal half of the tarsi entirely devoid of feathers, as well as by the length of the horn-like feathers on the head, which measure 38 mm., whereas in S. pennatus the longest are only 23. The markings on the feathers of the head are coarse and form black bands, and the whole of the markings on the back and under parts are coarser and less neat. Length, 203; wing, 142; tail, 74; tarsus, 29; of which 15 is naked and covered with small octagonal scales." (Grant.)

The subject of Grant's remarks, quoted above, was a long-horned screech owl collected by Whitehead in "North Luzon." The same collector secured specimens in Lepanto and I have seen a living example which was reported as having come from Nueva Ecija.

214. OTUS MINDORENSIS (Whitehead).

MINDORO SCREECH OWL.

Scops sp. inc. Grant, Ibis (1896), 462.
Scops mindorensis Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 98.
Otus mindorensis McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 56.

Mindoro (Whitehead).

Adult female.--Similar to Otus longicornis but smaller; hair-like feathers on each side of mandible shorter, the longest less than 25 mm.; forehead and space above eyes almost uniform pale buff; ear-tufts shorter, the longest feather about 30 mm.; white nuchal band obsolete; lower parts mostly buffy, and almost entirely devoid of white. Length, 183; wing, 135; tail, 63; tarsus, 29. Male unknown. (Whitehead.)

This species is known from the type only, a badly damaged skin obtained by Whitehead.

215. OTUS WHITEHEADI (Grant).

WHITEHEAD'S SCREECH OWL.

Scops whiteheadi Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. (1895), 4, 40;
Ibis (1895), 440; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 97; Sharpe, Hand-List
(1899), 1, 287.
Otus whiteheadi McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.

Luzon (Whitehead).

Description.--"This remarkably fine new species is most nearly related to Scops everetti of Tweeddale, from the Island of Mindanao, but it is very much larger, and is, in fact, the largest Scops at present known to inhabit the Old World. The feathering on the tarsi extends over the basal joints of toes; the light cross-bars on the inner webs of the quills are much less conspicuous; and the middle of the lower breast and belly is uniform whitish buff, in marked contrast to the sides. Both the gray and rufous phases of plumage are represented. Adult male. Length, 241 to 254; wing, 185 to 188; tail, 91 to 94; tarsus, 42. Adult female. Length, 279 to 289; wing, 195 to 203; tail, 99 to 102; tarsus, 42 to 48." (Grant.)

"Iris golden brown; bill brownish white, tipped with white; feet dull white, nails white." (Whitehead.)

Known from Whitehead's specimens only, which were collected in Lepanto, northern Luzon.

216. OTUS RUFESCENS (Horsfield).

RUFOUS SCREECH OWL.

Strix rufescens Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1821), 13, pt. 1,
140.
Scops rufescens Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1875), 2, 102;
Proc. Zool. Soc. (1879), 314; Hand-List (1899), 1, 287.
Otus rufescens McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.

Sulu (Burbidge). Malay Peninsula, Greater Sunda Islands.

Adult.--"Everywhere bright tawny-rufous, browner on the head and upper parts generally, these also varied with small triangular cross-bars of fulvous, which become larger and more distinct on the wing-coverts; the outer margin of the scapulars paler and more inclining to tawny-fulvous; ear-coverts 25 mm. long, and colored like the head; lores and forehead clear fulvous, with little black spots along the shaft of the feathers; sides of face rufous; inclining to dark brown around the eye; behind the ear-coverts a line of black feathers running down the sides of the neck; under surface of body tawny-rufous, paler on the lower parts, and varied with little tiny spots of black along the shafts, less distinct toward the abdomen, and absent on thighs and under tail-coverts, which are uniform tawny-buff; quills dark brown, barred across with fulvous, paler on the outer margin of primaries, but less distinct on the secondaries, which are almost uniform rufous like the back, but with indistinct bars of dark brown on the inner web; tail rufous, mottled with dark brown vermiculations, making it look darker than the back, with remains of five or six, more or less plainly indicated, fulvous bars; under wing-coverts buffy white, more tawny on outer edge, and having a line of dark brown feathers near the outer margin. Length, 239; culmen, 229; wing, 132; tail, 66; tarsus, 27." (Sharpe.)

This species is included in the Philippine list because of the single specimen collected by Burbidge which, however, may really represent an undescribed species. Sharpe says: "This bird seems to me to differ slightly from Bornean and Malaccan examples in having a much darker face, the ear-coverts shaded with black. I do not, however, propose to found a new species on a single example, and must wait for more specimens. The measurements of the Sooloo [=Sulu] bird are as follows: Length, 178; culmen, 18; wing, 122; tail, 66; tarsus, 22."

217. OTUS CUYENSIS McGregor.

CUYO SCREECH OWL.

Otus cuyensis McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1904), 4, 17;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.

Bu-caó, Cuyo.

Cuyo (McGregor).

Adult male, light phase, type.--Feathers of head and neck heavily streaked with blackish brown, the edges more or less notched with whitish and light rufous; ear-tufts also blackish, but edges rufous; back dark rufous, finely speckled with blackish, clearer rufous on upper tail-coverts; each outer scapular with a large white spot on outer web followed by a blackish spot on tip and bordered toward base by a dark brown line; chin and upper throat whitish with narrow brown shaft-stripes, the webs marked more or less with cinnamon; remainder of under parts dark cinnamon, more or less cross-barred with white and dark brown, each feather with a blackish brown shaft-stripe; the coloration heaviest across upper breast because of the greater width of the shaft-stripes and reduction of the white areas; middle of abdomen almost pure white; flank-feathers with narrow shaft-lines and wide white bars; thighs rufous-brown; wings mostly sandy cinnamon more or less mottled with brown; outer webs of primaries regularly notched with five or six spots of white or whitish cinnamon, bordered with dark brown; similar notches on secondaries but less prominent owing to darker color of spots; quills below brownish with slightly lighter, irregular, and almost obsolete bars; alula with similar light notches on outer webs, on the first feather the notches are white; coverts generally uniform, but some feathers of median series with large white patches on outer webs; tail similar to the back with about eight irregular and nearly obsolete cross-bars; short plumulaceous feathers below and behind the eye finely mottled with pale cinnamon, brown, and whitish; behind ear, feathers of the incomplete ruff broadly tipped with blackish brown forming a prominent dark band on side of head; bristle-like feathers of lores with bases whitish, tips blackish brown, the longest about 20 mm.; anterior bristles pale cinnamon; tarsus feathered to base of toes. Bill, cere, and feet dirty brown; nails horn-brown; iris yellow. Length, 235; wing, 170; tail, 82; culmen, 23; tarsus, 35; middle toe with claw, 33.

Adult female, light phase.--Not greatly different from the male, but white notches on primaries and alula with a cinnamon wash. Length, 235; wing, 175; tail, 88; culmen (tip broken), 21; tarsus, 35; middle toe with claw, 32.

Red phase.--The pattern of coloration is the same as in the light phase; white and whitish markings nearly all replaced by rufous; chin and upper throat and modified feathers below and behind eye almost clear rufous; blackish brown markings on breast very wide; a few whitish bars on abdomen and flanks.

218. OTUS CALAYENSIS McGregor.

CALAYAN SCREECH OWL.

Otus calayensis McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1904), 4, 17;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.

Cok-cok bá-buy, Calayan.

Calayan (McGregor).

Adult male, light phase; type.--Lower parts dark cinnamon finely mottled with brown and white, a few feathers on throat and breast with dark brown shaft-stripes or spots; abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts extensively white with very little cinnamon and the brown mostly reduced to fine speckles; thighs and tarsi cinnamon with cross-lines of dark brown; upper parts dark rufous finely mottled with blackish brown, producing a rather uniform coloration; lores, continuous with a line above eyes, white; tips of nasal and loral bristles dusky brown or cinnamon, the longest about 20 mm.; modified feathers of ear-coverts and below eye finely speckled with white and dark brown; behind this the incomplete ruff forms a conspicuous rufous band along side of head, but most of the feathers tipped with dusky brown; feathers of ear-tufts dark rufous with irregular blackish spots toward tips; wing-coverts and scapulars about same as back, some of the latter with a large white area on outer web; exposed surface of quills and tail similar and a little lighter than back; tail crossed by several irregular lighter bars; quills dusky brown; outer webs of outer primaries notched with pale cinnamon; inner webs of quills crossed by pale cinnamon bars which become very wide on secondaries; tarsi feathered nearly to toes. Bill, feet, and nails brown, the feet with a slight green wash; iris bright yellow. Length, 216; wing, 169; tail, 85; culmen, 21; tarsus, 31; middle toe with claw, 29.

Female.--In every way similar to the male. Length, 203; wing, 164; tail, 81; culmen, 21; tarsus, 31; middle toe with claw, 28. In the red phase, the white markings, except a few bars and freckles on abdomen and flanks, are replaced by rufous.

219. OTUS ROMBLONIS McGregor.

ROMBLON SCREECH OWL.

Otus romblonis McGregor, Publ. Gov. Labs. Manila (1905), 25, 12;
Phil. Jour. Sci. (1906), 1, 768; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 46.

Banton (Celestino); Romblon (McGregor).

Adult female, type.--Feathers of upper parts rufous with median black stripes on head, neck, and back, heaviest on head; ear-tufts colored like neck and inconspicuous; white spots on scapulars washed with pale fulvous; lower parts and wings patterned as in O. cuyensis but more rufescent; black band on side of head narrower and less marked than in cuyensis. Length, 222; wing, 158; tail, 76; tarsus, 29; middle toe with claw, 28.

This species is similar to Otus cuyensis from which it differs in having shorter wings and tail.

220. OTUS BOHOLENSIS McGregor.

BOHOL SCREECH OWL.

Otus boholensis McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 323.

Bohol (McGregor).

Female, type.--Crown, nape, and interscapular area, conspicuously blackish, the feathers sparingly vermiculated and notched with sandy buff; basal portion of a few feathers sandy buff forming a narrow and hidden nuchal band; forehead whitish, the whitish marking continued as a wide band over each eye to tips of ear-tufts on inner webs, outer webs blackish spotted with fulvous, these white bands more or less broken by fine vermiculations of dark brown; loral plumes whitish with blackish tips; ear-coverts grayish, shaded with fulvous and narrowly barred with dark brown, the hinder ear-coverts tipped with black forming a short band; side of neck whitish with fine blackish cross-lines and wide blackish tips to the feathers; behind ear-coverts an imperfect ruff of whitish feathers with wide terminal or subterminal black bars; chin whitish; feathers of throat somewhat modified in continuation of the ruff; breast, sides, and abdomen rufescent cinnamon with fine vermiculations and irregularly shaped median stripes of blackish brown, each feather with one or two rounded spots of light buff on each web; under tail-coverts light sandy buff with a few wavy blackish lines near their tips; legs sandy buff crossed by distinct wavy blackish lines; feathering of tarsi extending nearly to basal joints of toes; primaries dark brown; the outer webs with large clear and distinct spots of sandy buff, six in number on short first primary, and corresponding faint bars on inner webs; secondaries dark brown with sandy buff bars somewhat obscured by darker vermiculations; the primary-coverts resemble the secondaries, and first quill of alula is marked like the primaries; secondary-coverts, scapulars, and back vermiculated with sandy buff, light buff, and blackish brown and marked with large irregular blackish brown spots; under wing-coverts nearly white, inner ones uniform, the outer buff mottled with blackish; edge of wing white; tail dark brown, mottled with sandy buff and with seven or eight poorly defined bars of sandy buff. Wing, 155; tail, 82; tarsus, 30; culmen from base, 24; culmen from anterior margin of cere, 16; ear-tuft, 29.

This owl is clearly allied to Strix lempiji Horsfield, and doubtless it is closely related to Scops everetti Tweeddale, with which it should be compared. The type was taken in the interior of Bohol and is the only specimen known.

Genus NINOX Hodgson, 1837.

Usually larger than Otus; neither ruff nor ear-tufts present; tarsus more or less feathered; toes sparsely covered with stiff bristles; primaries much longer than secondaries.

Species.

a1. Breast streaked, each feather broadly centered with darker color.

b1. Wing-coverts uniform with no rows of white spots.

c1. Belly white, streaked or largely spotted with brown.

d1. Head grayer, much lighter than back, which is browner;
tail clear gray tipped with white, the black bands in strong
contrast; axillars barred with brown and white; wing, 200 to
220 mm. ... lugubris (p. 261)
d2. Head browner, generally uniform with the back, seldom grayer;
tail dark brown with blackish brown bars.

e1. Smaller; wing, 197 to 210 mm. ... scutulata (p. 262)
e2. Larger; wing, 218 to 235 mm. ... japonica (p. 263)

b2. Wing-coverts spotted with white; outer edge of primaries with
distinct rows of white spots.

c1. Top of head uniform ... philippensis (p. 264)
c2. Top of head more or less spotted.

d1. Larger; wing, 195 mm. ... everetti (p. 265)
d2. Smaller; wing, 162 to 175 mm. ... spilocephala (p. 266);
reyi (p. 267)

a2. Breast spotted or transversely barred with fine lines.

b1. Much larger; wing, about 240 mm. ... spilonota (p. 266)
b2. Much smaller; wing, 160 to 170 mm. ... mindorensis (p. 268);
plateni (p. 268)

221. NINOX LUGUBRIS (Tickell).

TICKELL'S HAWK OWL.

Strix lugubris Tickell, Jour. As. Soc. Bengal (1831), 2, 573.
Ninox lugubris Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1875), 2, 154;
Hand-List (1899), 1, 290; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 329;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 47.

Basilan (Steere Exp.); Luzon (Heriot, Steere Exp.); Masbate (Bourns
& Worcester); Mindanao (Steere Exp.); Negros (Keay); Sulu (Bourns &
Worcester). Himalayas, Indian Peninsula, Burmese countries.

"Adult female.--Above ashy brown, the head very much grayer, the sides of the face and neck being decidedly light gray; forehead, lores, fore part of cheeks and chin very conspicuously white, the loral plumes with hair-like black shaft-lines; feathers round the eye grayish; scapulars marked externally with large bars of white, not very distinct, and often half concealed; upper wing-coverts ashy brown like the back, the outer median-coverts and the primary-coverts deeper and more inclining to sepia-brown; quills dark brown, a little deeper than the back, barred across with light ashy or grayish brown, inclining to whitish on the outer web of some of the primaries and inner secondaries, most of which are narrowly tipped with white; tail very pale grayish brown, inclining to white at the base, and also tipped with white, crossed with six blackish brown bands; under surface of body white, the throat yellowish buff, streaked longitudinally with grayish brown, the chest broadly streaked with rufescent brown, the abdomen spotted, and each feather subterminally barred with the same; under tail-coverts pure white, the basal ones with a few brownish bands; leg-feathers rufous-brown, very slightly mottled with whitish cross-markings; under wing-coverts white, barred across with dark brown, the outermost almost entirely brown, the edge of the wing white; the greater series dusky grayish brown, barred with buffy white, thus resembling the inner lining of the wing, which is grayish brown, barred with buffy white on the inner web, these bars inclining to fulvous near the base. Cere and bill green, the tip of the latter dusky; feet grayish or reddish yellow; iris bright golden yellow. Length, 343; wing, 232; tail, 145; tarsus, 34.

"Adult male.--Smaller than the female, and having only five blackish bands on the tail. Length, 292; wing, 216; tail, 142; tarsus, 29." (Sharpe.)

"The two specimens collected measure 294 in length; culmen, 15; wing, 222; tail, 123; middle toe with claw, 30; tarsus, 28. Iris yellow; legs and feet yellow; bill black along gape, elsewhere dirty greenish. Food insects." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

222. NINOX SCUTULATA (Raffles).

RAFFLES'S HAWK OWL.

Strix scutulata Raffles, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1822), 13, pt. 2, 280.
Ninox scutulata Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1875), 2, 156
(part); Hand-List (1899), 1, 290; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902),
2, 329; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 47.

Palawan (Platen). Southern India, Malay Peninsula, Greater Sunda
Islands, Ceylon, Tenasserim.

"Adult (type of Athene malaccensis [30]).--Above deep chocolate-brown, the head slightly darker, the scapulars with concealed white bars; wing-coverts exactly like the back and equally uniform, the primary-coverts blackish, quills dark brown, slightly washed externally with ocherous, the primaries inclining to rufous-ocherous toward their tips, all the wing-feathers nearly uniform, with no lighter cross-bands, the inner secondaries barred with white, but these bars entirely concealed; upper tail-coverts uniform chocolate-brown like the back; tail-feathers ashy brown, rather paler at tips, and crossed with five blackish bands (one basal and concealed); sides of face chocolate-brown, as also the sides of the neck, the latter slightly washed with rufous; forehead and lores whitish, the latter obscured by blackish shaft-lines; chin whitish, slightly streaked with brown; rest of under surface rufous-chocolate, the throat washed with buff, the breast varied with white, generally as if streaked, the margins to the feathers being whitish; on the abdomen the white predominating and cutting across the feather, so as to form an oval spot of brown at the tips of the abdominal plumes, leg-feathers brown; under tail-coverts whitish; under wing-coverts rufous-chocolate, the inner feathers washed and barred with ochraceous-buff, the edge of the wing whitish; the greater series sepia-brown, nearly uniform, excepting for a few ochraceous bars near the base, thus resembling the inner lining of the wing, which is sepia-brown, with a few ochraceous bars near the base of the quills. Length, 317; wing, 213; tail, 122; tarsus, 28." (Sharpe.)

223. NINOX JAPONICA (Temminck and Schlegel).

JAPANESE HAWK OWL.

Strix hirsuta japonica Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica,
Aves (1850), 29, pl. 9 B.
Ninox scutulata Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1875), 2, 156
(part).
Ninox scutulata japonica Meyer and Wiglesworth, Bds. of Celebes
(1898), 1, 96.
Ninox japonica Grant, Ibis (1896), 111; Sharpe, Hand-List (1899),
1, 290; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 330; McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 47; McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907),
2, sec. A, 283.

Cuá-go, Manila; cok-cok, Calayan; ngi-ngi-aó, Cuyo.

Basilan (Mearns, McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Camiguin
N. (McGregor); Cebu (Bourns & Worcester); Cuyo (McGregor); Fuga
(Whitehead, McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Celestino); Mindoro
(Whitehead). China, Japan, Indo Malayan islands; in winter to
Celebes, Ternate, and Sangi Islands.

Adult.--"Above vandyke-brown, washed on the head with grayish, and with rufous on the back, sides of neck, throat, and wings; wing-coverts unspotted, the outer ones dark purplish brown, the inner ones like back, scapulars with concealed white spots; outer web of primaries light cinnamon-rufous with two or three partially obliterated yellowish bars; tail reddish brown crossed with five dusky bars and terminally margined with buff; under parts white with long oval light chestnut-brown spots; under side of wing banded on the inner webs of the feathers with yellowish isabelline except on the ends of the primaries. 'Iris golden yellow; bill dark lead-gray; feet light yellow.' (Platen). Wing, 218 to 235; tail, 115 to 136; tarsus, 25 to 29; culmen from cere, 13 to 17." (Meyer and Wiglesworth.)

"A male of the Japanese hawk owl was obtained on the Island of Fuga. It differs from the typical N. japonica from Japan and the Loo Choo Islands in having the predominating color of the under parts white instead of reddish brown, all the feathers being white, with an oblong reddish brown spot, about 15 mm. long, at the end of each. Examples from Luzon and Mindanao, however, approach the Fuga Island bird, having less reddish brown and more white on the under parts.

"N. japonica appears to be perfectly distinct from the Indian N. scutulata, the markings on the sides and flanks in the latter species taking the form of wide bars with a detached heart-shaped spot or bar at the tip of each feather. The sides and flanks thus appear spotted, not longitudinally streaked, as in N. japonica." (Grant.)

The Japanese hawk owl is a common species. In Calayan Island I killed a number of specimens on the beach and in both Fuga and Camiguin I found it common in the forest. The number of bars on the wings and tail is by no means invariable and must not be depended upon in identifying this species.

224. NINOX PHILIPPENSIS Bonaparte.

PHILIPPINE HAWK OWL.

Ninox philippensis Bonaparte, Compt. Rend. (1855), 41, 654;
Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875), 9, 144, pl. 25, fig. 1; Sharpe,
Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1875), 2, 167; Hand-List (1899), 1,
290; Grant, Ibis (1896), 531; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 47.

Bu-caó, Ticao and Masbate.

Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Leyte (Whitehead); Luzon (Meyer, Heriot,
Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor); Marinduque (Steere Exp.);
Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Steere Exp.,
Whitehead); Siquijor (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino);
Ticao (McGregor).

"Adult.--Above brown, the head slightly darker and more chocolate-brown, the scapulars with large oval marks on the outer webs, some of the inner ones barred with ochraceous; wing-coverts dark brown, slightly washed with ochraceous, all of them distinctly spotted with white or ochraceous white, those on the median and greater series large and oval in shape; quills brown, margined narrowly with ochraceous, and barred across with paler brown, almost obsolete on the inner web, but indicated on the outer one by a distinct white spot, very plain, and producing a checkered appearance; upper tail-coverts rather more ochraceous brown than the back; tail-feathers sepia-brown, crossed with six narrow bands of pale ochraceous, the last one subterminal; frontal plumes whitish at base, but this color not visible; sides of the face brown like the head, the ear-coverts rather more dusky; under surface of body ochraceous brown, the chin whitish, and the throat marked with a few blackish streaks; the abdomen whiter, the centers to the feathers being ochraceous-brown, producing a broadly streaked appearance; under tail-coverts white; leg-feathers ochraceous-brown; under wing-coverts ochraceous, the edge of the wing white, those coverts nearest the margin being marked with dark brown; the lowest series sepia-brown, barred with pale ocher on the inner web, thus resembling the inner lining of the quills. Length, 216; wing, 176; tail, 102; tarsus, 51.

"Young.--Above rufous-chocolate, the upper surface almost entirely uniform, with the exception of a few buffy white bars on the outer scapulars; wing-coverts uniform like the back, and only a little darker, the greater series distinctly spotted on the outer web with ochraceous or white; primary-coverts uniform dark brown; quills dark brown, notched on the outer web with ochraceous or buffy white; tail darker brown than the back, with a fulvous tip and crossed with six narrow bars of fulvous-brown; forehead whitish, with long hair-like black bristles over the lores; side of face uniform rufous-chocolate like the head; under surface of body fawn-color, the feathers of the chest margined narrowly with whitish, causing a slightly streaked appearance, the abdominal plumes white, with broad fawn-colored centers, causing this part to appear very broadly streaked; thighs fawn-color; under tail-coverts white; under wing-coverts fawn-color excepting the lower series, which are brown, spotted with fulvous on the inner web, exactly resembling the inner lining of the quills. Length, 203; wing, 164; tail, 86; tarsus, 30." (Sharpe.)

"Five specimens average, 206 in length; wing, 177; tail, 89; tarsus, 28; middle toe with claw, 35; culmen, 14. Iris yellow; legs and feet light yellow; bill yellow at tip, greenish at base. Food insects." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)