96 BUBONID/E. 



mottled and imperfect transvese brown bars which extend to the inner 

 webs. Outer webs of secondaries also buffy and much freckled and mottled 

 with brown. Tail brown, with 5 6 imperfect and irregular transverse rufous 

 fawn bars, the interspaces much freckled. Throat and ruff white, suffused with 

 rufous fawn towards the tips ; those of the throat with 2 3 very narrow trans- 

 verse brown bars towards the end, and those of the ruff broadly blotched at 

 the tips with deep brown. Breast and abdomen white, pale yellowish or rufous 

 white, closely and irregularly barred with delicate wavy brown lines, many of 

 the feathers with dark brown shaft stripes or lengthened blotches. Vent and 

 the lower tail coverts white with or without an imperfect bar or two towards the 

 tip ; tibial and tarsal plumes white or slightly rufescent, with a few indications 

 of narrow brown cross markings. Under wing coverts yellowish white, mottled 

 with cross lines of dark brown near the edge of the wing, which is white. Feet 

 yellowish fleshy ; bill yellowish horny, brown at the tip and on the side of 

 upper mandible and the edge of the lower. 



Length. 8-5 to 10*5 inches; wing 6-3 to 7*2; tail 3*2 to 3-3 ; tarsus 1*4 to 

 I -5 ; bill from edge of cere O*6 to 0*7. 



Hab. Punjab, N.-W. Provinces, Bengal, Concan, South India, Malabar, 

 British Burmah, Nepaul and Sikkim. Recorded as most plentiful at Kumaon, 

 Darjeeling, Dhurrumsalla, Kotegurh, Simla and Gurhwal. It is recorded 

 from Arrakan, and according to Gates is common over the greater part of 

 Pegu. Captain Ramsay procured it at Rangoon and on the Karenne Hills. 



Of the habits of this species very little is known, Like 'most Scops Owls 

 it issues from its retreat at sunset. It is known to breed in the valley of Surjoo 

 between Petoragurh and Almorah in Kumaon, and Oates says, he found a nest 

 in March. The nest according to Hume, Rough Notes> was a few small sticks 

 or twigs, amongst which a few feathers were interspersed, and was placed in 

 a narrow cleft on an overhanging precipice. Eggs 3 in number, very spherical 

 in shape, pure white and very glossy, varying in size from 1*33 to 1*38 in 

 length, and from ri8 to 1'2 in breadth. . 



94- Scops lempiji, Horsf. Tr. Lin. Soc. xiii., p. 140; Sharpe, Cat. 

 Striges, p. 91 ; Blyth, J.A. S. B. xv. pt. i. p. 182. Ephialtes lempiji, Gray, 

 Gen. B. \. p. 38 ; Wall. Ibis. 1868, p. 24 ; Hume, Str. F. ii. p. 469 ; id. 1st 

 list. B. Pegu, vol. iii. pp. 14, 28 ; Hume and Davison, B. Tennaserim, vol. vi. 

 p. 35 ; Ball, Ganges to the Godavery, vol. vii. p. 201 ; vol. viii. B. West half 

 Malay Pen. ; Bingham, B. Tennaserim, vol. ix. p 147 ; Oates, B. Br. Burmah, 

 ii. p. 156. HORSFIELD'S SCOPS OWL. 



Above clear sandy brown, coarsely vermiculated with wavy cross lines of. 

 black, many of the feathers with broad but irregularly formed streaks of black ; 

 scapulars more or less sandy buff on the outer web, the cross lines apparent on 

 the tips of the lower ones, but nearly absent on the upper scapulars, some of 

 which are entirely sandy buff on both webs; round the hindneck a toler- 



