PHOTODILUS. 269 



feathers round eye chestnut ; ruff white, the feathers tipped 

 chestnut and black ; crown and nape chestnut with, in the middle, 

 a few (usually 3 to 5) buff feathers, each with a small black spot, 

 remainder usually spotless, but sometimes with a small black spot 

 on each feather ; sides of neck ochreous buff with black spots ; 

 upper plumage slightly paler chestnut than the crown, and with a 

 few black spots, the feathers yellowish buff except at the ends, 

 and the buff showing especially on the neck, the scapulars, and 

 some of the wing-coverts ; the black spots on the scapulars and 

 some of the larger wing-coverts double, and with a white spot 

 between, or bordered with white ; quills, wiuglet, and tail-feathers 

 chestnut, with imperfect black bars, the first two or three quills, 

 the outermost feather of each series of primary-coverts, and the 

 terminal feather of the wiuglet with large white spots on the 

 outer webs ; lower parts pale vinous pink, more or less tinged with 

 buff from the base of the feathers showing ; some small brown spots, 

 sometimes with white borders, on the breast and abdomen ; wing- 

 lining whitish, with a chestnut patch at base of the primaries. 



Bill yellowish ; iris black ; toes brown, claws yellowish. 



Length 11-5 ; tail 3-8 ; wing 8-75 ; tarsus 2; bill from gape 1-5. 



Distribution. The Eastern Himalayas as far west as iS'epal at 

 low elevations (perhaps farther west, for Mr. E. Thompson told 

 Mr. Hume he had shot this species in Dehi-a Diin), also Assam, 

 Cachar, Manipur, Burma (\\here it is rare), and the Malay 

 countries, including Java and Borneo. 



Habits, Sfc. A very nocturnal bird, living in forest, and conse- 

 quently vexy rarely seen. Nothing is known of the nidification. 



1155. Photodilus assimilis. The Ceylon Bay Owl. 



Phodilus badius, Hume, S. F. i, p. 429 ; Whi/te, S. F. v, p. 201 ; 



nee Strix badia, Horsf. 

 Phodilus assimilis, Hume, S. F. v, p. 138 ; id. Cat. no. 62 bis ; 



Whyte, S. F. v, p. 353 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 161, pi. v. 



This is very similar to the last, but darker above, the chestnut 

 colour not being uniform on the crown, but marked with black 

 shaft-lines, enclosing pale rufous spots, and on the upper parts 

 generally the chestnut is much mottled with black, the buff on the 

 back and scapulars is more marked, and there is a large buff patch 

 formed by the median wing-coverts ; the black bars on the quills 

 and tail-feathers are more numerous and extend quite across the 

 feathers, and are nearly or quite as broad as the chestnut bars 

 intervening ; the inner webs of the primaries are brown instead 

 of chestnut; the patch on the wing-lining at the base of the 

 primaries is dark brown, and the spots on the lower surface are 

 double, one behind the other on the shaft of each feather. 



Bill greenish white ; iris dark brown ; feet pale whitish green, 

 claws pale ash ( Whyte) ; cere probably olivaceous {Legge). 



Dimensions about the same as those of P. hadius. 



