_Scops commersoni_ Oustalet, Ann. Sci. Nat. (8) III, p. 35 fig. 3
(1896).
This owl, I believe, is not a true _Scops_, being much too big, but we must
leave it in that genus for the present, as there are no specimens or bones
extant, and only Jossigny's drawing to guide us as to its appearance. The
first mention of owls on Mauritius was in the year 1606, when Admiral
Matlief says that owls were common in the Island. Monsieur Desjardins, in
1837, gave the first accurate description of the bird, of which I here
reproduce the translation. "The digits and even the tarsi are not
feathered, only on the front portion of these latter one sees some short,
stiff feathers running down to a point nearly to the centre. The digits are
very strong, they being armed with hooked nails.
The beak is very stout, arched from its base; the upper mandible, which is
much longer than the other and covering it, is as if cut square at the
point. The nostrils pierce the bill pretty high up in the horny portion.
The eyes, of which I could not see the colour, are round, and placed, like
in the entire family, in front. They are surrounded by a circle or disc of
stiff, thread-like feathers, which is interrupted at the sides. A sort of
collar is perceptible on the throat. Two tufts, similar to those of the
Eagle Owls and Eared Owls, and very apparent, are behind the eyes and
towards the top of the occiput.
The wings are a little longer than the tail, the fourth and fifth primaries
being the longest, the third and sixth are shorter, and the second still
shorter, being equal to the eighth, and the first is shortest of all. The
tail reaches to the end of the digits; it is rounded and not much
lengthened: all the retrices are equal in length. The ear-tufts are brown,
with some slight buff shading, the discal plumes being white marked with
buff. All the upper side is of a dark brown colour, the feathers of the
head, the neck and the back are edged with rufous, but not very distinctly
so; this rufous colour is more apparent on the scapulars, and some of these
even have on the outer web one or two whitish patches surrounded with
brown.
The large tail feathers are less brown and more rufous in colour, with
lighter rufous marbling mixed with brown.
The tertials and secondaries have a darker brown bar towards the centre,
and their outer web is pleasantly marked with somewhat square ocelli or
irregular bands of white, pale buff, and brown. The large primaries or {74}
flight feathers present the same ornamentation, but more strongly
developed, and the blotches are buffy white on the inner web, which
produces a regular spotting on a brown ground colour; the tip of these
large feathers is finely stippled with brown on a fairly pale ground; and
there is a large patch of white on the wings in addition.
The throat and abdomen are nicely adorned with dark buff feathers, which
have a black brown centre and two to four large round white spots. The
large feathers on the flanks are whitish, with a brown shaft line and
marked with buff. All the well feathered parts, underneath the feathers are
covered by a very thick black down."
The colour of bill and feet is reddish brown. Total length, 13½ inches =
345 mm. Desjardins says the specimen he described was killed at the end of
October, 1836, in the forest crowning the hills close to "Bamboo Creek." In
1837 several were still seen near "La Savane," and one was killed at
Curepipe by Dr. Dobson of the 99th Regiment. This latter is believed to
have been one of, if not the last of this species, so we have to thank that
excellent naturalist, Desjardins, and Monsieur Jossigny, the companion of
Commerson, that we know what this extinct species was like.
Habitat: Mauritius.
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