OWLS. 81 



Family I. BuBONiDiE. Horned and Wood-Owls. 



[Case 64.1 

 The first group to be considered are the Fishing-Owls (Ketupa) 



exhibited on the top shelf. Like the Ospreys, these birds have the soles 

 of the feet covered with spicules, and their bare legs are also well- 

 adapted for the capture of the fish which form their principal food. 

 Four species are known and inhabit various parts of the Indo-Chinese 

 and Malayan regions. Of the two exhibited, the Tawny Fishing-Owl 

 {K. flavipes) (967) ranges from the Himalaya to China, while the 

 Brown form [K. ceylonensis) (968), which, according to Mr. Hume, 

 varies its diet with mammals, land-birds and crabs, occurs in the Indian 

 Peninsula and Ceylon. Pel^s Owl {Scotopelia peli) (969), an allied 

 species from Tropical Africa, lacks the feathered tufts or horns, but is 

 otherwise very similar. 



The Eagle-Owls (Bubonince), of which examples are exhibited in a [Table- 

 separate Case in the centre of the Bay, include the largest of all the ^*^®" ' 

 Owls. The Great Eagle-Owl {Bubo ignavus) (970), common on the 

 Continent though rare in Great Britain, is partly diurnal in its habits 

 and extremely destructive, its great strength enabling it to kill not 

 only large game-birds, rabbits and hares, but even fawns. Its rare 

 Siberian ally [B. turcomanus) (971) from Central and Southern Asia, 

 and the handsome Spotted Eagle-Owl {B. maculosus) (972) from 

 S. Africa, are also represented. 



The Snowy Owl [Nyctea) (973), another very large species, inhabits [Case 54.] 

 the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is a not infrequent 

 visitor to the British Islands. Its habits are diurnal, and it preys on 

 hares and other smaller rodents, as well as birds and fish. The female 

 is more profusely barred with black than the male, whose plumage is 

 sometimes pure white. 



The Hawk-Owls, represented by the North European species (Surnia 

 ulula) (974) and the American subspecies {S. caparoch) (975), are also 

 diurnal in their habits, both appearing on the British List as accidental 

 stragglers to our shores. 



The Scops- or Tufted-Owls (Scops) include a very large number ot 

 species and are found in nearly every part of the World. They are all 

 birds of small size and of nocturnal habits. Several species are exhibited, 

 including the common European form [S. scops) (976), which on many 

 occasions has visited Great Britain, and the Screech Scops-Owl (S. asio) 

 (977) of N. America, of which both the grey and rufous phases are 

 exhibited. 



Another genus, the Brown Hawk-Owls {Ninox), with numerous species, 

 ranges from Asia through the Pacific islands to Australia. N. scutulata 

 (981) is a common Indian form, while N. strenua (982) and N. connivens 



