BUBONIN^. 135 



73. Ketupa flavipes, Hodgson. 



J. A, S., V, 364, with figure. Blyth, Cat. 149— Horsf., Cat. 91. 

 The Tawny Fish-Owl. 



Descr. — General color rich tawny; the feathers of the head, 

 with the ear-tufts, and neck, with dark brown streaks, narrow at the 

 base and widening at the tip; the hind-neck, back, and wing- 

 coverts are chiefly dark brown, with two large fulvous spots on 

 each side of the web, passing into bars on the tertiaries and larger 

 coverts, and giving altogether a rich mottled brown and fulvous 

 aspect ; the disk tawny ; anterior bristles white, as is the ruff on the 

 sides, but tipped with tawny ; base of bill, and over the eye, also 

 white ; beneath, the chin and throat white, the rest of the plumage 

 tawny, with broad oval longitudinal dashes of dark brown, narrowing 

 on the vent and under tail-coverts ; quills brown, with rich tawny 

 interrupted bands ; tail the same. 



Length, 24 inches ; wing, 19 ; tail, 9 ; tarse, 3 : weight, 3|lbs. 



The wings are shorter than the tail. The toes are much larger 

 and stouter than in K. ceylonensis, and the claws are sub-equal, 

 the outer one beino; more curved than the others. 



This fine Fish-Owl is confined, as far as we know accurately, to the 

 Himalayas. Horsfield, indeed, in his Catalogue, implies that it also 

 inhabits Siam ; but he does not possess a specimen from that country, 

 and he probably introduces it on the faith of some native drawing. 

 Hodgson states that it is common in Nepal up to a considerable 

 elevation ; that it flies well by day, and is constantly found on the 

 banks of rivers. He found the stomach tilled with fish, and says 

 that they also prey on crabs. They breed in February and March. 



The ordinary species of Malayana, K. javanensis, Lesson, (Strix 

 Ketupa, Horsfield,) extends northward to Arakan, where found 

 together with K. ceylonensis. 



Other forms of Eagle-Owls are Lophostrix, founded on the 

 S. cristata of Daudin, sometimes referred to the Scops group, 

 and Pseudoptynx, Kaup, the type of which is Syrninm Philippense 

 of Gray. Kaup says it is like Ketupa, but the tarsi feathered, 

 and the ear-tufts barely perceptible. Nyctea nivea, the great snowy 



