OWLS AND DIURNAL BIRDS OF PREY. 321 
the flanks and thighs with very pale buff, and with scattered 
small triangular dark spots, mainly on the sides of the breast, 
the flanks, and wing lining. 
Bill fleshy-white ; cere flesh colour; iris black; bare 
portion of legs and feet fleshy-brown. 
Length about 14; wing 11°25; tail4-75; tarsus 2-5; 
bill from gape 1°5. 
Distribution.—In Ceylon practically limited to the Jaffna 
peninsula ; a few specimens have been recorded from the 
north-west coast as far south as Puttalam. It occurs all over 
the world in tropical and temperate regions, with minor racial 
distinctions in the various continents. 
Habits, &c.—A thoroughly nocturnal bird, frequenting 
house roofs, outhouses, old buildings, ruins, or occasionally 
old hollow trees. In Jaffna it haunts the old drainage outlets 
from the bastions of the fort into the moat. It feeds almost 
entirely on rats and mice. The cry is a loud and rather weird 
screech. The birds are noisiest in the breeding season, which 
at Jaffna is in June and July. The eggs are Jaid in some hole 
in a building or tree ; generally there is no nest lining, in some 
cases a few sticks are placed on the floor of the hole. The eggs 
vary in number from 3 to 6; the shape is roundish oval, the 
colour white with a creamy tinge, the measurement about 
1°69 by 1:28. 
Family ASLIONID As. 
This family compuises ten out of our eleven species. It is 
again sub-divided into three sub-families as follows :— 
Photodiline.—Facial disk and ruff weJl marked ; ear orifice 
smaller than the eye, and not furnished with an operculum 
inner margin of the middle claw with a small serrated 
comb. 
Asionine. —Faeial disk and ruff well marked ; ear orifice 
larger than the eye, an operculum present ; middle claw not 
serrated. 

Bubonine.—Facial disk and ruff not well marked ; ear 
orifice smaller than the eye ; middle claw not serrated. 
