FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 253 



60.— Strix javanica, Om. 



19^/a January 1878, Female. — Length, 14*0; expanse 

 39-10; wing-, 1170 ; tail from vent, 5*08; tarsus, 2-50; bill 

 from gape, 1*58 ; bill at front, 091 ; closed wings exceed end 

 of tail, 0'30. Bill fleshy, white tipped ; irides dark brown. 



9th June 1878, Male.— Length, 14-0; expanse, 39-0; 

 wing-, 11*33; tail from vent, 5*16; tarsus, 270; bill from 

 gape; 1*56; bill at front, including cere, 1*40; closed wings 

 exceed end of tail, 1*33. Bill fleshy; iride3 dark brown; legs 

 dirty yellowish white ; mouth inside fleshy. 



Pretty common, and a permanent resident. Both the above 

 birds were caught in the verandah of the house in which I was 

 living. They had come in during the night and remained. I 

 have on some half a dozen occasions fired at these birds in this 

 as well as other districts, and on picking the birds up they 

 were alive, with not a feather displaced or a drop of blood to be 

 seen. Some five years back, when in the Mymeusing District, I 

 had secured a bird in this way and kept it alive for some months, 

 feeding it with fowl's entrails ; and the one shot on the 9th June 

 I kept for several days ; and, although there were a good many 

 rats in the room where it was coufiued, I never found traces of 

 any having been eaten. These birds can see in the day. I never 

 heard them utter any sounds except a sharp " chur-r-r/' and 

 cannot conceive how this Owl can make the diabolical sounds 

 ascribed to it by Mr. Rainey (S. F., Vol. III., page 332), for 

 often of a moon-light night, while lying awake in bed, I have 

 seen these birds alight on the window, and never heard any 

 other sound uttered than that already indicated. In the East- 

 ern Districts of Bengal (and I have been over a good many of 

 them) the Brown Fish Owl is called (i Bhootoom Paycha," 

 and the sounds uttered by this are horrible ; in fact they always 

 send a regular shudder through me. The cries of Ketnpa are 

 well described by Mr. Mason, " Rough Notes/' page 383. The 

 cries like those of a child or a strangling cat which are heard 

 at night proceed from Ninox scutellatus, vide Jerdon, Vol. I., 

 page 148. This ought to be properly investigated. 



68.— Asio accipitrinus, Fall. 



16th December 1877, Female. — Length, 14*87 ; expanse, 37*0 ; 

 wing, 12-0; tail from vent, 6*25; tarsus, 2*0 ; bill from gape, 

 1*08; bill at front, including cere, 1*0; closed wings fall short 

 of end of tail, 0'33. Irides, yellow. 



ldtk November 1877, Female. — Length, 14-25 ; expanse, 

 36*0; wing, 12*0; tail from vent; 6*0. Irides yellow. 



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