KETUPA. 83 



Family. BUBONID/E. 



Hinder margin of sternum with two or more distinct fissures or cldN ; 

 furcula free, not attached to keel of sternum ; inner margin of claw of mid- 

 dle toe not serrated ; mid toe longer than the inner one. 



Sub Fam., BUBONIN/E, EAGLE AND SCOPS OWLS. 



Ear conch not larger than the eye, and without an operculum. 



Gen. Ketupa- Lesson. 



Bill long, strong, straight at base, moderately compressed and hooked. 

 Wings do not reach the end of the tail ; tarsi naked, reticulate; soles of feet with 

 tiny prickles ; ear-tufts large. 



81. Ketupa CeylonensiS, Gmel. Sys. Nat. \. p. 287 ; Gray, Gen. 

 Birds, i. p. 38; Jerd. Birds of Ind. i. p. 133, No. 72 ; Hume, Rough 

 Notes, ii. p. 379 ; Str. F. i. p. 34!, ii. p. 469 ; Sharpe, Cat. Striges, p. 4 ; 

 Murray Hdbk., ZooL, fyc. y Sind, p. 119; id. Vert. Zool. Sind, p. 92. The 

 BROWN FISH-OWL. 



Adult. Above fawn-brown, the feathers broadly centred black and mottled 

 brown and fulvous on both webs. Feathers of the hind neck thinly barred 

 with brown ; the ear tufts with dark central longitudinal streaks. Quills 

 dark brown, the primaries tipped and spotted on the outer web with creamy 

 buff, the same spots on the inner webs, being dull fawn-brown ; secondaries 

 dark brown, with less distinct spots and bars, and more mottled with brown. 

 Tail brown with a fulvous tip, and 3 or 4 pale fulvous bands. Chin and 

 throat white streaked with dark brown. Loreal plumes whitish ; under surface 

 of body fulvous-fawn or vinaceous-rusty, all the feathers mesially streaked 

 with broad black centres and with wavy bars. Disk rusty with dark brown 

 stripes ; cere greenish grey. Bill pale horny yellow. Legs and feet dusky 

 yellow. Irides bright yellow. 



Length. 21 to 24 inches; wing i6'2$ ; tail 8 ; tarsus 2-65. 



Hab. India, Ceylon, Assam and Tenasserim. I have had it at Khandalla 

 and Poona in the Deccan. At Madras it is not uncommon, as also in 

 Nepaul and Behar, Sind, Beloochistan, Afghanistan, N.-W. Provinces, Oudh, 

 Bengal, Punjab ; also Rajpootana (scarce) Central India, the Central Provinces, 

 Concan, Deccan, South India, British Burmah and Nepaul. There is no 

 record of its occurrence in Kutch and Guzerat. 



Breeds throughout India from December to March or April, making its 

 nest on a shelf of rock, clay cliffs, or high banks near water. Normally this 

 species lays two eggs, very perfect broad ovals, white, with in most specimens 

 the faintest possible creamy tinge. The shell is close-grained, and com- 

 pact, freely pitted over its surface, but more or less glossy. In size they vary 

 from 2-29 to 2 -44 in length, and from r&| to 1-94 in breadth. In Sind it 



