a76 
of Almorah. Blyth, however, informed me that Hodgson’s 
Shikarees, when in Caleutta, recognised Bubo Maximus, as a 
species which they knew.” 
I have never seen an Indian-killed specimen of this species, | 
but the Shikarees who yearly shoot birds in Spiti, Kooloo, and 
Lahoul, assert the existence of a large Horned Owl, feathered 
to the claws, which can scarcely be other than B. Maximus. For 
convenience of reference, I extract from Huropean writers some 
accounts of the nidification of this species, and append dimen-~- 
sions and description. 
Mr. Yarrell says,—“ The nest of this bird is large, the ma- 
terials collected being spread over a surface of several square 
feet, among rocks or the walls of old ruins. The female is 
larger than the male, and produces two or three eggs of a short 
oval shape, two inches five lines (2°42) long, by one inch ten 
lines (1°83) wide, and perfectly white.” 
Mr. Hewitson tells us that the Hagle Owl breeds in the 
north of Europe, making its nest upon the bleak and unshel- 
tered summit of some lofty mountain; in such situations Lin- 
neus found their nests and young ones, and he quotes from 
Linneus’ journal of May 17th, the finding three young birds, 
and an egg, on a little grassy plot encircled on three sides by 
rocks, but open to the south, on the steep southern side of the 
yellow on the inner sides. The whole upper parts, including the wings and tail, 
have aground shade of ochraceous yellow, with the centre of the feathers 
black, which broadens at the tips, and at the sides is shaded off in light 
wavy mottles of a similar tint. On the greater coverts and secondaries, the 
markings assume the form of indistinct bars from their greater crowding, 
while along the shaft, the dark colour is continuous. The quills on the inner 
webs are of a brighter tint of ochraceous, and are there crossed with distinct 
narrow bars of black ; on the outer webs, the bars, though distinct, are yel- 
lowish brown, clouded with a darker shade, and generally edged next the 
ground colour with an irregular darker margin ; towards the tips the dark 
colour predominates, and is there mingled with gray. The ground colour of 
the tail is paler than that of the quills, and it is crossed with mottled bars of 
brownish black ; the pale spaces towards the tips, and on the centre feathers, 
being also thinly mottled ; on the inner webs the bars are very narrow. When 
viewed from the lower side, it is much paler in colour, the bars appear all 
narrow, and the mottling on the intermediate spaces scarcely appears. On 
the under parts of the body, the same ochraceous tint prevails; the chin is 
white; on the throat, breast, and belly, the feathers are broadly streaked 
with black, which breaks off to the sides in interrupted bars; on the other 
parts of the belly, vent, flanks, and under tail coverts, the shaft is black, and 
the feather is crossed with numerous irregular bars of brownish black, nine 
or ten sometimes being counted on one feather. The tarsi and toes are 
clothed as in Olus, and are crossed with indistinct bars of brownish black. 
The irides are brilliant and bronzed orange. 
