31G ON THE RAPTORIAL BIRDS OF INDIA. [M.ir. 21, 



for the sake of comparison with the measurements of Circus swain- 

 sonii and C. cifieraceus, 1 annex in a tabular form : — 



Remarks. Particular attention is drawn to the long wing and tail of 

 C cineraceus, and to the characteristic long tarsus of C. melanoleucus. 



The irides of the present specimen were gold-coloured ; tlie legs 

 and feet were dingy yellow ; the l)ill was blue-black ; the claws were 

 black ; and the cere was pale yellow. 



Before leaving the sut)ject of C. tnelanoleucus, I may mention, 

 from my own exjjerience, that the Oudh larai generally, as far west 

 as the Shahjehanpore district, as well as parts of Central Oudh (where- 

 ever there are extensive grass jungles) may be added to the localities 

 given by Hume as tlie regular range of this species*. 



70. ASCALAPHIA COROMANDA, Lath. 



The coloured eggs of Polioruis teesa, referred to in my last paper, 

 have been wholly eclipsed by the acquisition of a pair of really well- 

 marked eggs of the Dusky Horned Owl, which I took on the 28th of 

 November last from an old nest of Mycteria australis, shooting one 

 of the parent birds off the nest. 



Mr. Hume, who has seen these eggs, and who was not a little 

 sceptical in the matter of Owls so far forgetting themselves as to lay 

 spotted eggs, writes to me as follows: — "Your eggs of Ascalaphia 

 coromanda are spotted in a remarkable way. After carefully examin- 

 ing them 1 have now nothing to say contrary to what you hold ; held 

 up against the light the colour of the shell, a dull sordid yellow, is 

 precisely that of many white eggs of A. coromanda ; and under a 

 powerful microscope the granulations appear to me to be similar to 

 those of A. coromanda. Of this Owl 1 must still have seventy or 

 eighty specimens by me ; and I have taken eggs without number, and 

 I do not think 1 ever saw a single spot on any one of them." 



One of tiiese eggs was quite fresh ; the other had been incubated 

 for some ten days or so. In order to make certain that this was not 

 a case of mistaken identity, I visited the nest several times in com- 

 pany with my friend Mr. Hastings before removing the eggs. 



Tlie markings consist of indistinct lilac blotches, showing through 

 the shell, as it were, on of course a pure white ground ; and they are 

 both profusely though minutely spotted, especially at the obtuse end, 

 with brown and lilac spots (or, rather, specks) of various shades. 



In conclusion I have a few emendations to make to my last paper 

 F. Z. S. 1^75, p. 16, pi. iii. 



In the first place the two figures of A. hastata have been wrongly 

 numbered. No I. is the one with the striated breast; otherwise the 

 plate and letterpress do not accord. Again, the explanation of 



* Cf. Hume in Journ. Asiat. Soc. 1870, and iStrny Featiiere,' vol, iii. p. 34, 



