407 
times sees, perched on these in a run of tio or three miles 
down a railway line on a trolly about sunset, is surprising. 
Very often it will not even move for a train, or if it does, only 
takes a short undulating flight, alternately opening the wings 
widely and closing them again entirely, and then re-alights on 
the wire. It is a great bird for a kind of whispered chattering, 
which the natives try to imitate in its name “ Khoosuttia,”’ which 
recalls to us the French word for the same sound, “ chuchoter.” 
As regards its geographical distribution out of India, Mr. 
Blyth remarked in the Ibis for 1866—*“TI believe that Dr. 
Jerdon is mistaken in noting this bird from Ceylon, as also 
from ‘ Persia and other parts of Asia,’ west of India. Noctua 
indica, one of the synonyms of this species, is described as being 
‘common about the foot of the mountains near the town of 
Erzeroum,’ (P. Z. 8. 1839, p. 119). This, I believe, is the 
only authority for noting it from Persia; and the species was 
doubtless A. Persica (Vieillot.)” 
No. 76 sis. Athene Persica.* Vie rLtor. 
THe Persian Ow.et, or SourHEeRN LitrLte Own. 
Noctua Meridionalis, Rissn. 
a Glauv, SAVIGNY. 
Strix Noctua, ForsKAu. 
Passerina, RuPPE.t. 
»  Numida, Levattuant, Junr. 
(2?) Athene Gymnopodus, Honeson. 
Bactriana, BuytxH. 
9 
”? 
Mr. Blyth says that this species “inhabits Middle and Wes- 
tern Asia, Southern Europe, and Africa, north of the Atlas ; 
* ATHENE PERSICA. 
I have unfortunately no detailed measurements of this species. The fol- 
lowing is a note which I made from one of the Swat specimens ; unfortunately 
at the time, I did not know what the bird was. “ It appears to be about 6°75 
or 7 long. Wing, 5°0. Tail, 2°5. Tarsus, 0°9. Feet feathered not completely so 
it is true, but far more so than in Brama, than which it is much smaller. 
The whole upper surface, a dingy rufous ashy brown, much the same colour 
as in some specimens of Minow Scutellatus. There are numerous greyish 
white blotches on the head, nape and base of the back of the neck. The 
tail has three, conspicuous, narrow, transverse, greyish white bands visible, 
with a fourth nearly hidden by the upper tail coverts. The chin, cheeks, 
ear coverts, middle of throat, upper breast, lower abdomen, breast and lower 
tail coverts, dingy fulvous white, unspotted. The sides of the neck, lower 
