BUBO. 283 



Bill horny black ; cere dirty greenish ; irides gamboge-yellow ; 

 legs yellowish grey (Jerdon). Bill greenish horny (Chennell). 



Length about 24 ; tail 9 ; wing 18 ; tarsus 3 ; bill from gape 1*8. 

 The tarsi covered with downy feathers for some distance below 

 the upper end behind, and more than halfway down in front. 



Distribution. Throughout the lower Himalayas as far west as 

 Kashmir, at elevations not exceeding about 5000 feet, also in the 

 ranges immediately south of the Assam valley, and in China. 



Habits, $c. This fine Owl is found on the banks of Himalayan 

 rivers, and like K. zeylonensis is said to subsist principally on fish 

 and crabs. The nest and eggs do not appear to have been 

 described. 



1166. Ketupa javanensis. Tlie Malay Fish-Owl. 



Strix ketupu, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 141 (1821). 



Ketupa javanensis, Less. Traitt, p. 114 (1831); Blyth, Cat. p. 37; 



Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 76 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 384 ; Sharpe, Cat. 



B. M. ii, p. 9 ; Blyth 8? Wald. Birds Burm. p. 66 ; Armstrong, S 



F. iv, p. 300 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 33, 497 ; Hume, Ca.. 



no. 73 bis ; Bingham, S. F. ix, pp. 146, 471 ; Gates, B. B. ii, 



p. 149 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 98. 



Coloration. Similar to that of K. flavipes, except that the 

 present species is browner and less orange, especially above ; the 

 buff borders to the upper plumage frequently wanting altogether 

 in old birds, whilst white or buff spots on the dark parts of the 

 feathers are more numerous. Chiefly, however, the species is dis- 

 tinguished by having the tarsus entirely naked behind up to and 

 including the joint, and not, as a rule, clad in front so much as half- 

 way down, and by much smaller size. 



Bill dusky ; cere dark slate-colour ; irides light yellow ; legs and 

 feet dusky yellowish brown. 



Length about 18-5 ; tail 6-5 ; wing 13-5 ; tarsus 2'75 ; bill from 

 gape 1-75. 



Distribution. Arrakan, the Irrawaddy delta, and throughout Te- 

 nasserim, the Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, and Borneo. 



Habits, $c. Very similar to those of the other species, except 

 that K. javanensis appears to feed largely on insects, but it probably 

 eats fish and crabs as well. It sees well by day and has a low soft 

 whistling note. Major Bingham found the nest, containing a 

 single white egg, in a fork of a large peepul tree, on February 27th. 

 The egg measured 2-21 by 1'17, and was, as usual, a broad oval. 



Genus BUBO, Dumeril, 1806. 



This and the next genus contain the Eagle-Owls, birds of large 

 size, with aigrettes and with the tarsus fully feathered ; the claws 

 are powerful and well curved, the inner (2nd) claw being the 

 longest, much exceeding the hind (1st) claw in length. The wing 



