272 



ASIONID^. 



buff, especially behind the eye ; orbital feathers and tips of loral 

 shafts black ; ruff rich buff, streaked and speckled with dark 

 brown ; upper plumage thi'oughout buff, broadly streaked with 

 dark brown, the colours somewhat intermixed and mottled on the 

 scapulars, tertiaries, and wing-coverts ; some large buff or white 

 spots on the scapulars, greater and median coverts ; primaries 

 buff, with the tips and two or three irregular cross-bands near the 

 end dark brown, the brown bands occurring higher on the outer 

 than on the inner webs ; secondaries banded buff and brown, 

 basal portion of inner webs of all quills white ; tail banded tawny 

 buff and dark brown ; the buff in the middle feathers mixed with 



Fig. 73. — Head ot A. acclpitrinus, 4. 



brown ; lower parts buff, longitudinally streaked with brown shaft- 

 stripes, broadest on the breast, growing narrow behind and dis- 

 appearing on the legs, lower abdomen, under tail-coverts, and 

 under wdng-coverts ; a brown patch on the latter at the base of 

 the primaries. 



In some skins from North-western Indian and the desert, 

 the parts usually buff are nearly white, especially the lower 

 surface. 



Bill and claws blackish ; irides deep yellow. 



Length 15 ; tail 5-75 ; wing 12 ; tarsus 1*6 ; bill from gape 1*2. 



Distribution. Almost world-wide except in high latitudes. A 

 migratory bird, that may be found dui'ing the cold season in all 

 parts of the empire in suitable localities ; common in the grass- 

 plains of Northern India, less common to the southward and, 

 so far as is known, in Burma, and not hitherto recorded from 

 Ceylon or Tenasserim. 



Habits, ^'c. This Owl is usually in India found in long grass, 

 and is often seen when grass-plains are beaten for game. Occa- 

 sionally it haunts low bush or cultivation. It lives mainly on 

 small mammals, which it hunts, chiefly by night, but sometimes by 

 day. It flies well and strongly, and was formerly a favourite 

 quarry for trained Falcons. It does not breed in India, but 

 farther north lays about 4 eggs on the ground. 



