16 THE BIRDS OF THE LUCKNOW CIVIL DIVISION. 
same trees, chiefly tamarind and pipal, in a dense bamboo 
clump, evidently once an old fort, but now a jungle. It was 
perfectly infested with these large Owls—Bubo coromandus 
predominating—but they got so wide-awake from my firing 
at them that, in the long run, I found it extremely difficult to 
get near enough for a shot, though approaching silently and 
under cover. 
Though essentially a Fish Owl, XK. ceylonensis, like the rest 
of its tribe, does not stick at trifles. In the stomachs of four 
that I examined I discovered nothing but a huge ball of 
feathers in each. I have, therefore, not the least doubt that 
it takes readily to birds when its legitimate food is not avail- 
able. The rainfall of 1877, it must be remembered, was 
lamentably deficient; many, if not all, of our so-called 
perennial streams were dry or nearly so, as indeed were all 
the jhils, with the exception of a few of the largest. Under 
these circumstances, it is not surprising that K. ceylonensis had 
to change his usual diet, especially as many thousands of 
human beings had to do likewise, or starve. 
74 bis.—Scops sunia, Hodgs. 
Notwithstanding all that has been written about the little 
Scops Owls, I am far from convinced about the specific dis- 
tinctness of 8. sunia, Hodgson’s Scops Owl. A specimen in my 
possession aprears to be changing from the rufous to the grey 
phase of plumage. I am, therefore, inclined to think that, 
asin the case of the Paradise Flycatcher (4/. paradisi, Lin.), the 
rufous stage is only transitory or seasonal,* thonghI am not 
quite prepared to maintain that it is so in the face of a vast 
deal of evidence to the contrary. Still, the specific distinctness 
of these little Owls sadly wants working out. 
75 ter.—Scops bakkameena, Penn. 
Pennant’s Scops Owl is very common about Lucknow, and is 
a permanent resident. It breeds in holes in mangoe trees in 
the early part of the year, and after the breeding season habi- 
tually frequents bamboo clumps, in which it may be found 
generally seated in pairs. It appears to be quite sylvan in its 
habits, rarely residing near human habitations. 
76.—Carine brama, Tem. Native name—Kasuttea. 
_ Towards dusk and early morning, and throughout moonlight 
nights, the Spotted Owlet may be heard and seen in the 
* It is certainly not seasonal, and as I have myself procured two old birds with 
four young ones, all of the bright uniform rufous type, I do not think it is transitory. 
Many grey birds show a great deal of rufous, but this is quite a different rufous to 
that of sunia.—Ld. 
