SYKNIUM INDRANEE, Sykes. 343 



in the act and handling it, was wanting*. " My dear fellow, 

 "why ever didn't you shoot it ?" "Oh I couldn't do that; the 

 " natives wouldn't have it shot for anything ; so superstitious 

 " you know !" 



The oldest of my two birds was fully adult, well into his 

 second year when he was killed, and though I had opportunity 

 of watching him under every possible circumstance — in excite- 

 ment, in anger, in pleasure, alone at nights, under the influence 

 of hunger, through his first breeding time, &c, he never gave the 

 slightest sign of any capability even of making any loud and 

 dismal moan-like notes. The nearest approach to it was one 

 night when he appeared very hungry and gave vent to a low 

 guttural sound that could neither be called a moan nor a groan. 



I received my first bird on the 13th of May 1872 ; he was 

 then about two months old as near as I can judge, was very tame 

 being carried about on a stick without string or other fastening 

 and had been fed for a fortnight previous on the inevitable 

 rice and curry ! The consequent effect of this was that 

 his digestion had become impaired, and he at once vomited 

 all the meat given him. I was therefore obliged to coax 

 his stomach and bring it round to something more natural 

 to it, by mixing chopped meat with hard boiled egg, and 

 then tried what became afterwards his favourite food — lizards, 

 Calotes, which I cut up likewise iuto small pieces. After 

 having been fed in this manner for a day or two he would 

 not look at rice and curry. Fish was a favourite article of 

 diet with him afterwards ; he used to treat them in the 

 same manner as birds and lizards ; swallow them whole. 

 At the above time his plumage was in the downy stage, o-ivmo- 

 him, in combination with his stumpy figure and round 

 head, the most ludicrous appearance; at a little distance he 

 reminded one of a huge bundle of greyish white down. His 

 dimensions at this age were about those of the Ninox hirsuta, 

 but his frame was somewhat stouter. The iris was hazel ; 

 the pupil in a strong light being blue ; the bill and cere 

 light leaden blue ; extremities of toes pale bluish ; claws 

 dusky. Head, hind neck, and throat clothed with downy 

 feathers, whitish at the tips, and dark at the base behind 

 the eye and across the nape ; feathers of the back not so fluffy 

 as the above, light brown with buff bars ; scapulars and lesser 

 wing-coverts greyish buff, barred with light brown, the bar 

 edged with a yellowish hue. Interscapulars grey, barred with 

 brown ; the greater wing-coverts barred whitish and brown, the 

 latter predominating, and each of the feathers with a deep 



