370 Lieut. H. E. Kelham on 



Kwala Kangsar^ and on my way had to pass through a gloomy 

 swamp^ clear of undergrowth^ but with the trees interlacing 

 so thickly over head as to throw the whole place into deep 

 shade^ while from above long tangled creepers hung down 

 into the pools of stagnant water. Altogether it was a most 

 weird spot; and I was hastening on to get out again into the 

 sunlight, when, within a few yards, up rose a huge Owl, 

 which I shot; but being only winged it turned on its back 

 and, till I put an end to its struggles, fought most fiercely 

 with my retriever. Its last meal had been of a most miscel- 

 laneous nature ; for, on dissection, its stomach contained a 

 piece of stick, the jaw-bone of a rat, portions of beetles and 

 dragonflies, some vegetable matter, and, lastly, a great red 

 centipede measuring 7 inches in length. 



This bird was a female, length 19 inches ; irides golden- 

 yellow, legs grey, plumage pale rufous-brown, the feathers 

 having bold central streaks of dark brown ; wings and tail 

 dark brown, barred with rusty white ; throat and shoulders 

 white ; ear-plumes over 2 inches in length ; feet and talons 

 very powerful. 



I kept one of these Owls alive in a cage for several weeks, 

 feeding it on raw meat and dead birds. It throve well, but 

 was exceedingly savage, so much so that when leaving Perak, 

 not being able to take the bird with me, and yet wanting its 

 skin as a specimen, I hardly knew how to kill it without 

 damaging its plumage or it tearing my hands, until I thought 

 of chloroform ; and a handkerchief soaked in that soporific and 

 thrown over the bird's head quickly solved the question. I 

 once saw one of these Owls in Singapore ; it was flushed by 

 the beaters when beating the jungle for sambur and pig. 



Scops lempiji (Horsf.). 



For some time, owing to their small size, I put down my 

 specimens of this little Scops Owl as S. malmjanus, Hay; but 

 they have now been identified by Mr. Gurney as Horsfield's 

 S. lempiji; and on carefully reading what Dr. Jerdon says 

 on the subject, I see he states that there are several phases 

 of S. lempiji. Both as regards plumage and size and with the 



