118 BUBONID^E. 



darker, the spots turning into bars ; the back, scapulars, rump and upper- 

 wing coverts chocolate brown, paler than on the head ; the back with large 

 white bars ; the lesser-wing coverts with a few white spots ; the greater-wing 

 coverts with large white spots on both webs ; the rump barred with white ; the 

 scapulars with large bar-like drops of white ; the exterior feathers, which are 

 usually concealed, being almost entirely white, with ferruginous brown bars ; 

 primary coverts, plain rufous brown, the general colour of the wings much 

 the same as that of the upper plumage, but duller ; the primaries and 

 secondaries barred with fulvous on both webs, except on the first four pri- 

 maries, where the outer webs are barred with whitish ; the tertiaries broadly 

 barred with white, turning to rufous bars at the bases of the feathers ; tail 

 much the same tint as the back, the central rectrices very sparsely barred with 

 whitish (probably disappearing with age), the others barred narrowly on the 

 outer and broadly on the inner web with fulvescent white ; all the rectrices 

 tipped with dull white ; the lower plumage with the under-wing coverts white 

 with numerous bars of dark brown ; bases of the feathers which are very much 

 decomposed and bright fulvous in colour, show through the plumage in 

 patches ; the bars on the thighs narrower and more numerous. 



In the young the whole upper plumage is white, barred with chocolate brown, 

 the tips to the tail feathers very white and broad ; the whole lower plumage 

 white, closely barred with brown ; thighs plain fulvous white ; facial disc as 

 in the adult. 



Bill and cere dark horny brown j the mouth flesh colour; iris dark brown; 

 edges of the eyelids pink ; toes brown ; claws dark horn. 



Length. 18 to 2O'5 inches ; tail 7*6 to 9; wing 14-4 to 15*6 ; tarsus 2^15 

 to 2- 3 ; bill from gape 1-5 inches. 



Hab. British Burmah, Java, Siam, Cochin-China, Borneo, and Penang ; 

 distributed over Pegu and Tennaserim. Common near Kyrikpadien and the 

 towns of Pegu and Rangoon. Capt. Fielden procured some at Thayetmyo, 

 and Mr. Davison and others in the extreme south of Tennasserim, while Capt. 

 Bingham heard its note in the Thoongyeen Valley. According to Gates the 

 species frequents ever green forests and groves of trees near pagodas and 

 ruined temples or monasteries. It is strictly nocturnal in its habits, and feeds 

 principally on insects. During the day it roosts on a high branch well 

 protected by leaves. Of its eggs I have no record, but Gates says he took the 

 young birds in March, and that the eggs appear to be deposited in a roomy 

 fork of some large tree, at no great height from the ground. 



115. Syrnium ocellatum, Less. Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 289; Gould, E. 



Asia pt. xxii.; Sharpe, Cat. Striges, ii. p. 263. Bulaca ocellata, Hume, Rough 

 Notes, ii, p. 383 ; id. Nests and Eggs, Ind. B. p. 61. Syrnium sinense, Blyth, 

 J. A. S. B. xi. p. 162; Jerd. B. Jnd. i. p. 123. Bulaca sinensis, Gray, Cat. 

 Ace. 1844, p. 43 ; Plyth, Ibis, 1865, p. 29. THE MOTTLED WooD-OwL. 



