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No. 69. Ascalaphia Bengalensis.* Franxuy, 
THE Rock Hornep Ow1. 
This species breeds as a rule, in February, March, and April, 
but eges are occasionally met with in both December and 
* AscALAPHIA BENGALENSIS. 
Dimensions. (Zhe sexes do not appear to differ sufficiently to make it 
worth while giving the dimensions separately, but the females are usually 
somewhat larger.) 
Length 21 to 23. Expanse 52°5 to 58'0. Wing 14°75 to 16:0. Tail 8:25 
to 875. Tarsus, 2°94 to 3°25. Foot, greatest length, 4:2 to 4°35; greatest 
width, 42 to 4°38; mid toe to root of claw, 1°5 to 1°82; its claw straight, 
1:06 to 1:92; hind toe, 0°81 to 1:00; its claw straight, 0°8 to 0°88; 
inner toe, 1°65 to 1°72; its claw straight 1:05 to 112. Bill straight, 
from margin of cere to point, 1 to 1°06; from gape, 1:7 to 1:76; width at 
gape 1:45 to 1:56; height at front, at margin of cere, 0°58 to 0°61. Wings 
when closed, reach to within 1°5 to1°9 of end of tail. Lower tail coverts reach 
to within 1 to 1°25 of end of tail, The 4th Primary is the longest; the Ist 
is from 15 to 2; the 2nd from 0°45 to 0°55; and the 3rd from 0°06 to 02 
shorter. Exterior tail feathers from 0°7 to 0°85 shorter than central ones. 
Description. Legs and feet feathered ; the toes above only, but almost 
to the very points, where there are 3 large transverse scales on the inner, 
and 2 similar ones on each of the other toes; the scales greyish horny. 
Soles with prominent pads, thickly covered with prominent papille, a sort 
of buffy white. Claws dusky almost black, lighter at the roots; inner edge 
of mid-claw dilated into a narrow knife-like edge. Jrides narrow, of great 
diameter, intense orange yellow, brightest internally. 7/2 horny black. 
Tongue rather short and broad, fleshy, somewhat spatulate. The tip ob- 
tuse and slightly emarginate. 
The lores and sides of upper mandible at base are occupied by two dense 
tufts of nearly pure white bristly feathers having the webs much disunited, 
and having the extreme tips black ; the shafts of most are prolonged as 
bristles. 'They completely overhang the nostrils and reach to within from 
three-eighths to one-fourth of an inch of the end of upper mandible. The edges 
of the eyelids are brown, the eyelids bluish white and bare, except for 2 dense 
rows of short feathers near the margins, with very disunited webs, which are 
white with the tips of most of the shafts, blackish on lower and posterior half of 
upper lid, and brown on anterior portion of the latter. Feathers of forehead, im- 
mediately overhanging the upper mandible, and the anterior one-third of eye 
very similar to those of the lores. A broad band of similar feathers, but 
tinged with pale buffy brown, from near the base of the egrets, behind and 
below the eye, embracing the ear coverts, and every where bounded posteriorly 
by a narrow dark brown band, which commencing above the eye, runs to the 
base of the egrets, and thence downwards behind the ear, to a little below 
the gape. Forehead, top and back of the head a sort of umber brown, with 
whitish marginal and terminal spots giving a mottled appearance ; these 
spots are much larger proportionally and more buffy towards the front 
of the forehead, where the brown almost disappears; the warm buffy tint 
of the bases of the feathers shows through a good deal in some, towards the 
back of the head. There is an ill-defined, mottled, buffy streak from above the 
eye, above the dark brown band, to the very base of the egret, up the interior 
