378 
No. 71. Huhua Nipalensis. Hopcsovn. 
Tue Forest Eactr Owt. 
Nothing seems to be known about the nidification of this 
species. 
I have never myself killed the bird, nor can I throw any 
light upon the question of the identity or distinctness of the 
Northern Nipa/ensis and the Southern Pectoralis, Jerdon. Dr. 
Jerdon himself is now, I believe, inclined to consider them 
distinct. Mr. Blyth made the following remarks on these two 
races, and the allied H. Orientalis (Horsf. in the Ibis for 1866.) 
“The Bubo pectoralis of Cassin’s ‘ Catalogue of Strigide’ is dis- 
tinguished from his B. Nipalensis, which latter is placed as a 
synonym of B. Orientalis, and is moreover from the Himalaya. 
Now Huhua Nipalensis is a very much larger bird than HZ. 
Orientalis, and is, otherwise conspicuously distinct fromit The 
only question that remains is, whether H. Pectoralis of Jerdon, 
figured in the ‘Madras Journal of Literature and Science’ 
(Vol. X. p. 89, pl. 1,) from Southern India, be distinct from 
H, Nipalensis of the Himalaya. A juvenile Tenasserim speci- 
men of this genus forwarded by Col. Tickell to the Asiatic 
Society’s Museum, Caleutta, was incorrectly assigned by me to 
H, Orientalis (J. A. 8., B. XX VIIL. p. 411) as corresponding 
to the description of Strix Swmatrana, Raffles, (Trans. Linn. 
Soc. Vol. XIII. p. 279) and also Temminck’s figure of the imma- 
ture plumage of Orientalis (P. C. 289); but I erroneously 
added H. Nipalensis and H. Pectoralis as synonyms, as again 
in the Ibis for 1863, p. 26. The same nestling bird was de- 
seribed* by Col. Tickell as Ptiloskelos Amherstii. It should be 
referred decidedly to H. Nipalensis.” 
* The following is Tickell’s description of the young bird. 
* Nestling—Sex not distinguishable. Length, 15-5. Wing, 105. Tarsus, 
1:75. Femur, 4:25. Bill, 1°81. Tris sepia. Bill and feet, pale flesh colour, the 
latter with a yellowish tinge. Claws, blackish horny. Head, neck and body, 
including scapulars and wing coverts dirty white tinged more or less deeply 
with orange tawny. Each feather marked near its end with an arrow-headed 
bar of sepia. Head and nape with spots of the same. On the breast these 
marks take the form of wide, broken bars, lapping round the neck. Wing 
coverts also, irregularly barred. All the plumage is immature and deciduous, 
but the remiges (which usually at once assume the permanent colouring) are 
ashy sepia, barred broadly and softly with full sepia, with marbled interspaces. 
Downy plumes of legs white.” 
