on Dr. Jerdon's 'Birds of India.' 257 



76. Athene brama. 



I believe that Dr. Jerdon is mistaken in noting this bird from 

 Ceylon, as also from " Persia and other parts of Asia " west of 

 India. Noctua indica, one of the synonyms of this species, is 

 described as being " common about the foot of the mountain 

 near the town of Erzeroum^' (P. Z. S. 1839, p. 119). This, 

 I believe, is the only authority for noting it from Persia ; and the 

 species was doubtless A. persica (Vieillot), Noctua meridionaiis 

 of Risso, Athene bactriana, nobis, A. gymnopus, Hodgson, and 

 Strix numida, Levaill., jun., which inhabits Middle and Western 

 Asia, Southern Europe, and Afi'ica north of the Atlas ; it is 

 common in Afghanistan, but does not enter the Indian sub- 

 region, nor even the Himalayan province of the South-Turanian 

 subregion, Mr. Hodgson's specimens having been obtained north 

 of the snow. A. sonnerati (Temm. PI. Col. 21) is stated to have 

 been sent from Pondicherry by M. Leschenault, but no such 

 bird is known in India or Burma. Dr. Pucheran identifies it 

 with Strix super ciliaris, Vieillot (Rev. Zool. 1849, p. 19), which 

 is therefore different from Ephialtes sagittatus, Cassin (Ibis, 

 1863, p. 21) ; and Prof. Kaup designates it leroglaux superciliaris, 

 but without mentioning its particular habitat, which was un- 

 known to M. Vieillot. The same individual specimen in the Paris 

 Museum was described by Temminck, Vieillot, and Lesson. 



77. Athene radiata. 



" A single specimen of this pretty little owl was obtained 

 at Keddah (Malayan Peninsula), agreeing in every respect 

 with those obtained from India" (P. Z. S. 1854, p. 262). A. 

 castanoptera, Horsf. [Strix spadicea, Rein ward t, Temm. PI. Col. 

 98), might be expected to inhabit the Malayan peninsula, but I 

 have never seen it from thence, though Heifer (a loose au- 

 thority) notes it from the Tenasserim provinces (J. A. S. B. vii. 

 p. 861), and his identification might perhaps suffice for a species 

 so remarkable in its colouring, were it not that he might have 

 met with a straggler of the nearly allied A. castanotus, nobis, 

 of Ceylon, even as Dr. Cantor procured a stray individual of 

 the Indian A. radiata at Keddah. A. castanotus is recognized 

 as distinct from A. castanoptera by Prof. Schlegel. 



N.S. — VOL. II. s 



