284 ASIONID^E. 



is rounded, the 3rd primary longest, 4th subequal ; tail moderate, 

 slightly rounded at the end. 



This is a large genus, found over the greater part of the world, 

 except in Australia. Three species are Indian. 



Key to the Species. 



a. General colour buff and blackish brown. 



a'. Toes completely feathered: wing 17-20 . . B. iffnavus, p. 284. 

 V. Last joint of toes naked : wing 1475-16 . . B. bengalensis, p. 285. 



b. General colour greyish brown, toes half naked. B. coromandus, p. 286. 



1167. Bubo ignavus. The Great Horned Owl or Eagle-Owl. 



Strix bubo, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 131 (1766). 



Bubo ignavus, Forster, Syn. Cat. Brit. Birds, p. 3 (1817) ; Sharpe, 



Cat. B. M. ii, p. 14 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 346 ; id. Cat. no. 68 ter ; 



id. S. F. ix, p. 311 note ; Scully, Ibis, 1881, p. 425 ; St. John, Ibis, 



1889, p. 154. 

 Bubo maximus, Fleming, Brit. An. p. 57 (1828) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 34 ; 



Sclater, P. Z. S. 1860, p. 99 ; Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 870 ; Hume, 



Rough Notes, p. 374 ; id. 8. F. iii, p. 327 ; Scully, S. F. iv, p. 129. 

 Strix turcomana, JSversm. Add. Pall. Zoog. p. 3 (1835). 

 Strix sibirica, Licht. Susemihl, Abbild. Vog. Eur. pi. 44 (1846-52). 

 Bubo hemachalana, Hume, S. F. i, p. 315 (1873). 

 Bubo turcomanus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 17 (B. ignavi subsp.) ; 



Hume, S. F. vii, p. 348 ; id. Cat. no. ? 68 quat. ; Biddulph, Ibis, 



1881, p. 45 ; Menzbier, Ibis, 1885, p. 262. 



Coloration. Lores and anterior portion of cheeks white or pale 

 fulvous, with black shafts; ear-coverts and hinder part of disk 

 tawny, with indistinct brown cross-bars, the outermost disk- 

 feathers sometimes black- tipped ; aigrettes black, the inner or 

 both margins buff, especially towards the base ; upper plumage 

 black, varied and mottled with buff, there being broad black shaft- 

 stripes on the head and neck, the broad buff edges of the neck- 

 feathers less mottled with black than elsewhere ; much buff on the 

 outer scapulars ; upper tail-coverts tawny buff, with narrow wavy 

 blackish cross-bars ; primaries orange-buff, barred and tipped with 

 dark brown ; secondaries brown, with mottled buff bars, becoming 

 entirely buff on the inner web and on both webs at the base ; 

 tail barred buff and dark brown, both colours mottled on the middle 

 feathers. Chin and below the throat pure white, remainder of 

 lower surface buff ; the throat with black median stripes and cross- 

 bars, and the breast with broad black median stripes ; abdomen 

 and flanks with narrow dark brown shaft-lines and wavy cross-bars, 

 the cross-bars alone remaining on the vent, legs, under tail- 

 coverts, and wing-lining. 



Typical B. iynavus, from Europe, has more black on the back 

 and the middle tail-feathers, the pale cross-bars on the latter being 

 very narrow; but there is a complete passage into the Asiatic 

 B. turcomanus, with broad mottled buff edges to the back-feathers, 

 and the buff or white cross-bars on the median rectrices as wide 



