ALA 
No. 79. Athene Cuculoides.* 
Tuer Larce Barrep OWLET. 
The large Barred Owlet lays from March to May; its eggs, 
four in number, are always deposited in some hollow or hole in 
a tree, without any nest or at most, a mere apology for one in 
the shape of a few dead leaves, or a little dry touchwood. 
* ATHENE CUCULOIDES. 
The females, accord with Dr. Jerdon’s measurements. The males are 
smaller; the following are the dimensions of a fine male killed near 
Nyneetal. 
Length, 8°88. Expanse, 20. Wing, 5:7. Tail from vent, 3°38. Tarsus, 1:02. 
Mid toe, to root of claw, 0°84; its claw straight, 0°51; hind toe, 0°45 ; its 
claw, 0°4; inner toe, 0°63; its claw, 0°48, Bill straight, from edge of cere to 
point, 0°52; from gape, 0°85; height at front, at margin of cere, 0°38. The 
closed wings reach to within, 1°38 of end of tail; the 4th primary is longest, 
the 5th, 0°08, the Ist, 1:5; the 2nd, 0°55; and the 3rd, O°1, shorter. The 
exterior tail feathers are 0°4 shorter than the central ones, and the lower tail 
coverts reach to within 1:05 of the end of the tail. 
Description. The feet, sparsely bristled, are light yellow ; claws brown, 
yellowish horny at base; the irides, bright amber yellow ; the bill light yel- 
lowish horny. 
The lores, (some of the feathers of which are tipped dusky) a band over 
the eye, the chin, and two broad stripes, running from the chin and base of 
lower mandible, under the ear coverts and round the lower half of the pos- 
terior margin of the aural orifice, (where it is hidden in dry specimens by 
the ear coverts,) a broad band at the base of the neck in front, an ill-defined 
streak down the centre of the breast and abdomen, the vent feathers and 
lower tail coverts, white; the tail and quills, brown, of varying shade, corre- 
sponding with but rather darker and purer. than that of the back ; the former 
with six or seven narrow, transverse, white, fulvous or rufous white bars, 
(according to the general tone of colouring of the specimen) averaging about 
Ol in width and 0°4 apart, one of which is terminal and another more or 
less hidden by the upper tail coverts; the quills with conspicuous spots or 
impertect bars, of white or fulvous white on the outer webs and traces of 
corresponding pale bars on the inner webs, and the secondaries tipped with 
the same colour. The rest of the plumage, brown (varying in different spe- 
cimens from greyish or earthy, to hair or even rufous brown) every where 
recularly banded with narrow, white (or greyish, or fulvous, or rufous white 
as the case may be in different individuals) bars, closest on the ear coverts 
and front of neck, (where they may average 0°1 apart) and widest apart on 
the scapulars (where the interspaces may average 0°25). 
The exterior webs of some of the outer smaller scapulars and of some of 
the coverts near the fold of the wing, with large blotches of white or rufous 
white which are much more developed in some specimens than in others. 
Inner webs of all but of the first four quills, yellowish or rufous white towards 
the bases. Wing lining and axillaries, chiefly yellowish white. Tarsal feathers 
mottled or irregularly barred whitish and brown. Bars often irregular, and 
much white intermingled on the abdominal region and flanks. 
