28 BIRDS OF TENASSERIM. 



gayi in memory of a gentleman whose long labors in the 

 cause of Botany and Natural History appear to have met with 

 very scant recognition. 



The Burmese specimen, referred to by Mr. Blyth, loc. cit., and 

 mentioned by me, Rough Notes, 351, was sent from Rangoon, 

 and was said to have been procured in the Arrakan Hills. It 

 was undoubtedly newarense, but it was a purchased skin, and 

 I attach no certainty now to its alleged origin. 



65 bis. — Syrnium seloputo * Borsf. (1). 



Bankasoon. 



Very sparingly distributed in the better- wooded tracts of 

 the southern and central portions of the province. 



[This Owl appears to be very rare in Tenasserim. Anxious 

 as I was to secure specimens, I only succeeded in shooting one. 

 On one occasion I heard it near the village of Malewoon, and 

 Mr. A. L. Hough heard it at Pakchan. A pair frequented the 

 forest at the back of the village of Bankasoon. They used to 

 make their appearance soon after dusk, and keep about the 

 forest (I never knew them come into the open) till just about 

 dawn, when they retired. 



As they never came into the open (at any rate not to my 

 knowledge, and not in the early part of the night) and were 

 somewhat shy, it was some time before I managed to get a 

 shot, but I did manage at last to secure one. I found in its 

 stomach only the remains of some large beetles and nothing 

 else. 



The hoot of this Owl is very peculiar, once heard never 

 either to be forgotten or confounded with that of any other 

 Owl ; it commences with a sort of rolling hoo-hoo-hoo, and 

 ends with a prolonged and deep drawn hoo. 



It is perfectly distinct from that of indranee, which is a hoo, 

 then hoo-hoo, and then hoo, as also from that of nivicola, so 

 common here at Simla, which is simply hoot, hoot, a double 

 call repeated at intervals of some minutes. — W. D.] 



A fine specimen, a male, measured in the flesh : — ■ 



Length, 18*5 ; expanse, 48- ; tail from vent, 8* ; wing, 

 1325 ; tarsus, 2*4 ; bill from gape, T75 ; weight, 1'75 its. 



The claws and visible portion of toes horny; bill and cere 

 greenish black ; irides dark brown. 



The whole face ferruginous buffy ; most ferruginous on the 

 feathers behind the eye ; cheeks nearly white, as is also the chin, 

 all the feathers of these parts with disunited webs, as usual 



* If Latham's name sinense could be proved to apply to this species, it would have 

 precedence ; but Latham's dimensions and description suit ocellatum, Less, better than 

 this present species. I myself reject Latham's name ltogether, its subject not being 

 at present, to my mind, clearly identifiable. 



