166 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



Genus PHODILUS, /. G. St.-Hilaire. 



545. PHODILUS BADIUS, 



THE BAY OWL. 



Strix badia, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 139. Phodilus badius, Jerd. B. 

 Ind. i. p. 119 j Hume, Rough Notes, ii. p. 346 ; Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 21 ; Sharpe, 

 Cat. Birds B. Mus. ii. p. 309 ; Bl. $ Wald. B. Burin, p. 67 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. 

 vi. p. 27; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 83; Oates, S. F. x. p. 181. Phodilus ? nipa- 

 lensis (G. E. Gray], Hume, S. F. iii. p. 37. 



Description. Male and female. Forehead and front of the crown 

 pinkish white ; remainder of the crown and nape very deep chestnut ; the 

 whole upper plumage, wings and tail lighter chestnut ; the quills with 

 black hars on the inner webs and incipient bars on the outer webs ; the 

 tail with more or less perfect bars on both webs ; the feathers of the other 

 parts each with a small black mark, and those of the greater wing-coverts, 

 scapulars and tertiaries with some white shaft-spots ; feathers round and 

 in front of the eye deep chestnut ; disk whitish, more or less marked with 

 chestnut; lower plumage fulvous-pink, sparingly spotted with brown, 

 except on the tarsi and under tail-coverts. 



Length about 11 inches, tail 3'5, wing 7'3, tarsus T9; these are the 

 measurements of birds which are probably males. The females are said to 

 be much larger. 



The Bay Owl is said by Mr. Blyth to occur in Arrakan and Tenasserim. 

 Capt. Feilden procured it at Thayetmyo, and Capt. Wardlaw Ramsay at 

 Tonghoo and on the Karin hills east of that town. I have never myself 

 met with it. 



It is found in Sikhim and Nipal ; and it extends to Cochin China and 

 down the Malay peninsula 'to Sumatra, Java and Borneo. 



This Owl frequents forests, but nothing is known of its habits. It 

 has recently been shown that it belongs to the Bubonidge and not to the 

 Strigidse. 



