318 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
forwards, and are cireled with disks of radiating feathers, 
which may be bordered by a close-set ruff. Many species 
bear, above the eyes, upstanding tufts of feathers known as 
aigrettes, horns, or ear tufts. The bill is short, curved, and 
hooked ; its base is furnished with a cere, which is usually 
covered by stiff bristles concealing the nostrils. The ear 
openings are generally of large size, and are often protected 
by a lid or ‘‘operculum.’’ The legs are usually, but not 
always, completely feathered down to the toes. The feet are 
strong, the toes have sharp, curved claws of moderate length ; 
the hallux or hind toe is always present, the outer toe is 
reversible. 
The coloration, as might be expected in nocturnal birds, 
is mainly some combination of brown or rufous. Most species 
breed in hollow trees and lay white eggs, which are almost 
spherical. The young when born are helpless and covered 
with down. Owls are carnivorous, the larger species preying 
chiefly on small mammals and birds, while the smaller forms 
feed mainly on beetles and various other insects. 
Members of the order are found all over the world, and 
from their silent ghost-like flight, their large eyes, nocturnal 
habits, and weird cries have always been looked upon in all 
countries as birds of ill-omen. The usual call is either a hoot 
or a shriek, but in the forests of India and Ceylon eerie, 
strangulated sounds are heard at night, and are usually 
supposed to be the alarm calls or mating cries of one or other 
of the Owls. In Ceylon the identity of this ‘‘ Devil Bird ” 
is still a subject of much discussion and conjecture. From 
personal experience, inquiries, and the evidence recorded, J am 
convinced that the cries vary considerably, and probably are 
not all made by the same species. In the northern forest 
tract the cry usually heard is a loud, piercing, single scream, 
which is audible at a great distance. The villagers in the 
interior of the Puttalam District ascribe this call, not to an 
Owl, but to the Crested Hawk-Eagle—S. cirrhatus—and I 
believe that in some cases they are right. I have heard this 
ery at night in the North-Central Province, and although the 
effect was blood-curdling, there was a ring in it not altogether 
unlike the ordinary note of an eagle. The calls described by 
