12(3 BIUDS OF INDIA. 



the disk pale tawny, with a narrow black stripe along the inner 

 side of the eye ; the ruff blackish ; the head and neck and breast 

 dark brown, the feathers edged tawny yellow, broadly so on. 

 the neck and upper part of the breast ; rest of the plumage above 

 brown, mottled whitish, the feathers tawny at the base ; the quills 

 tawny, with a few dark brown bars changing to mottled fulvous 

 white, and dusky towards the tip ; tail pale tawny, with brown 

 bands, mottled at the tip ; beneath, from the breast, tawny with 

 dark brown dashes, and a few cross stripes ; vent, and under tail 

 coverts, and tarsal feathers, unmarked. 



Length of one 14 inches ; wing, llf; tail, 6; tars., If to If; 

 the closed wing-s are lonfjer than the tail. 



The Long-eared Owl of Europe has only been found in the 

 Himalayas from Nepal to Cashmere, and but rarely ; more 

 common perhaps towards Afghanistan. In Europe it chiefly 

 frequents fir woods, and generally breeds, it is said, in old nests 

 of other birds. It feeds on mice, moles, and beetles. 



The sub-gen. Brachyotus, Gould and Kaup, has the ear tufts 

 small. 



68. Otus brachyotus, Gmel. 



Strix, apud Gmelin — Horsf., Cat. 94— Jerdon, Cat. 39 — 

 Asio* apud Bltth, Cat. 146 — Brachyotus palustris, Gould, Birds 

 of Europe, pi. 40 — Chota G/mghu, Hind. — Chinna giidla guba, Tel. 



The Short-eared Owl. 



Descr. — Above, head and neck brown, the feathers broadly 

 margined with pale tawny ; wings and back the same, but more 

 tawny on the scapulars and back, and the brown more irregular, 

 tending to become narrow in parts, and to extend into bars in 

 other parts ; quills deep tawny, with broad brown bars; tail light 

 fulvous, also brown banded, and light tipped ; the disk pale fulvous, 

 much streaked blackish; the rufi" mottled tawny and brown; 

 beneath, pale fulvous, with narrow long stripes, wide on the throat 

 and breast; the under tail coverts, and the tarsal plumes, un- 

 spotted. Bill, blackish; irides, yellow. 



