418 MR. E. W. H. HOLDSWORTH ON CEYLONESE BIRDS. [Mar. 5, 



constant evening visitor to the trees surrounding my house at Aripo ; 

 and its single call of whock, repeated at short and regular intervals, 

 was frequently to be heard far into the night. It is a bird of rapid 

 flight. A young bird of this species was completely tamed by Mr. 

 Bligh in Ceylon ; it would fly to his finger, and delighted in being 

 stroked and played with ; and this tameness continued undiminished 

 after the bird had become adult. I have often had this amusing 

 little pet in my hands. 



The dimensions of a Ceylon specimen, a female, are : — Length 

 8 in., wing 6-5, tarsus 1*4, tail 3. 



Bill dusky; irides yellow ; feet greyish. 



31. Ephialtes sunia, Hodgson. 



Kelaart mentions, under this name, " a very small reddish-yellow 

 Eared Owl, occasionally seen in the very highest parts of the 

 island." I have some recollection of seeing a specimen from the 

 hills, which I believe was the bird he referred to, and I think the 

 species may be included in the Ceylon list. It is probably the ru- 

 fous phase of E. pennatus, Hodgs. 



I have no evidence of any other species of Ephialtes in Ceylon 

 than the two I have here given. 



32. Athene castaneonota, Blyth. 



Peculiar to Ceylon. It is probably confined to the southern half 

 of the island, and has been killed on the hills and in the low country, 

 but is by no means common. I obtained two specimens that were 

 killed in the neighbourhood of Kandy. It is admitted as distinct 

 from A. castanoptera from Malaya. 



Bill yellow ; irides ? ; feet greenish brown. 



Ceylon. 



33. Ninox hirsuta, Temm. 



Rare in Ceylon ; I have only seen one specimen, which was ob- 

 tained in the central district. Layard also only met with it once in 

 the course of eight years. 



Bill green ; irides yellow ; feet dingy yellow. 



Ceylon, India, Borneo, China, Japan. 



34. Hirundo rtjstica, Linn. 



Referred to by Layard under H. guthiralis, Scop., the Indian 

 representative of the European species ; but the grounds for sepa- 

 rating them appear to be of the slightest description, and I shall 

 adopt the now general opinion that they are the same. This bird is 

 a winter visitor to Ceylon, and generally distributed, but especially 

 abundant in the low country. Most of these birds are young ones, 

 without the long tail-feathers. 



Asia, Africa, Europe. 



35. Hirundo domicola, Jerdon. 



Confined to the upper hills in Ceylon. It is a very familiar bird, 



