Part 97

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.

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.

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.