BUBONINJS. 67 



the central feathers, generally five, broad, transverse, umber- 

 brown bands, darker in some, lighter in others, and the pale inter-; 

 spaces on the central . tail-feathers are much freckled, and in 

 some cases entirely suffused with the same color ; this freckling, 

 occurs, though in a less degree, on the succeeding feathers, the 

 interspaces growing clearer and brighter as they recede from 

 the centre ; the primaries are similar to the tail-feathers, the 

 tips infuscated or freckled like the central ones, and the 

 interspaces clearer and brighter towards the bases. 



The lower parts are greyish-white, with a faint yellow tinge 

 everywhere, expect on the middle of the throat, each feather 

 with a narrow dark shaft stripe, and with numerous very fine 

 wavy and freckled transverse greyish-brown bars, or vermicil- 

 lations ; the extent and depth of color of these delicate markings 

 vary much in different specimens, in some almost entirely 

 obscuring the ground color on the breast and abdomen. 



Tibial and tarsal plumes yellowish or pate fulvous-white, 

 in some specimens with faint longitudinal, dark-brown streaks 

 and in others with narrow, clouded, imperfect, transverse bars 

 of the same color. 



The Dusky-horned Owl is abundant in Central India, and 

 in parts of Rajpootana ; it is not uncommon in Sind, but occurs 

 more rarely in Guzerat, and has not yet been recorded from 

 the Deccan or South Mahratta country. 



It greatly affects the clumps of trees and mango topes that occur 

 so abundantly in the vicinity of villages and along the banks 

 of rivers and canals. It breeds during the months of December 

 and January, and occasionally later. The nest composed of sticks 

 is often of enormous size, owing to its being used for several 

 successive seasons ; it is generally placed in a fork of a large 

 tree, but occasionally on a horizontal branch, or in the depres- 

 sion at the junction of three or four large branches. The eggs, 

 generally two in number, are coarse in texture, creamy-white 

 in color, and average about 2'33 inches in length by about 1*9 

 in breadth. 



A fresh and an incubated egg will often be found in the same 

 nest, so that they must begin to sit as soon as the first egg is laid. 

 I think this habit is somewhat general amongst the Owls, as I 

 have noticed the same fact with Bubo betigalensis and Garine 

 brama. 



GENUS, Ketupa, Lesson. 



Bill large, strong, deep, moderately long, straight at base, 

 gradually curving beyond the cere, moderately compressed and 

 hooked ; nares elliptic, partially exposed ; large ear-tufts ; disc indis- 

 tinct ; ears moderate ; wings rather short, reaching not quite to end 

 of tail ; 4th quill longest ; tail moderate ; tarsus rather long, or 

 moderate, stout, naked, reticulate ; toes naked, finely reticulate, 

 -with three or four scales at the base of the nails, moderately long, 



