NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF UPPER ASSAM. 659 



Plentiful in North Lakhimpur at base of the hills. 



Specimens collected during June, July, August, evidently resident. 



312. PalcBornis schisticeps finschi, Hume. [1142]. — The Burmese Slaty- 



headed Paroquet. 



Paloeornis finschi, Blanford, F. B. I., Vol. iii., p. 254. 

 Occurs around the north-eastern corner of the V alley, Margherita, and 

 extends into the plains as far as Panitola. (Chota Tingrai, Tinsukia.) 

 14-2-04, $. 



313. PaloRornis fasciatus (J. L. S. Miiller). [1145]— Red-breasted Paroquet. 

 Commonly distributed throughout the plains. 



314. Loriculus vernalis vernalis (Sparrm.) [1160]. — The Indian Loriquet. 



A single § , 3-6-04, secured some few miles south of Dejoo, North 

 Lakhimpur, and a pair seen on the Bodutti Rd. near the station of North 

 Lakhimpur in the cold weather 1906, constitutes the total available evid- 

 ence. 



$ . Iris pale naples yellow, bill and cere orange yellow ; upper mandible 

 reddish-orange ; tarsus orange ; claws horny. 



316. Phodilus badia badia (Horsf.) [1154]. — The Bay Owl. 



Photodilus badius, Blanford, F. B. I., Vol. iii., p. 268, 

 Occurs sparingly in the plains. Dibrugarh, 19-11-04, S, two records 

 for North Lakhimpur only ; Pathalipam, Dejoo, 17-11-08, S- 



316, j4szo ^am??if?MSj^«mmeMs (Pontoppidan.) [1157]. — The Short-eared Owl, 



Asio accipitrinus, Blanford, F. B. I., Vol. iii.. p. 271, 

 Hessamara (Subansiri churs), 31-12-05, c? , secured in bright sunlight 

 about 10 a. m. after having been flushed several times from the scanty 

 scattered clumps of grass growing hereabouts on the sandy " churs ", Until 

 this specimen was actually in my hand I took it for Tyto {Strix) Candida 

 which undoubtedly occurs in Upper Assam though I have failed to secure 

 it through lack of opportunity to work the grass lands more thoroughly and 

 to the best advantage, 



317. StrLx indrani neioarensis, Hodgs, [1160], — The Himalayan Brown 



Wood-Owl. 



Syrnium indrani, Blanford, F, B, I,, Vol. iii., p. 276, 

 Silonibari, latter days in April 1911, a youngster was taken out of a huge 

 hollow tree which was felled at the forest clearance. A rigorous search 

 failed to locate another. The adult parents were seen several times 

 afterwards in the vicinity of their home. This bird was kept alive and in 

 December had almost assumed the adult plumage noted at the time as a 

 gradual change, not by a month as in Suhua nepalensis. The dark irides 

 and its large size misled me into thinking that the specimen was no other 

 than S. nepalensis. This fact combined with the dangerous policy of taking 

 things for granted might have ended this interesting record as the bird in 

 the careless hands of others died during my absence and the skin was not 

 preserved ; it was only when I was in camp on the Nepal frontier 

 that I secured a young Huhua nepalensis, that the thought immediately 

 crossed my mind that the former bird was no other than S. indrani newaren- 

 sis ; as this Owl keeps to the almost impenetrable virgin evergreen forests 

 at the base of the hills in North Lakhimpur it is small wonder it had escap- 

 ed my notice for such a long period, 



318. Ketupa zeylonensis zeylonensis (Gm,) [1164], — The Brown Fish-Owl. 



Plentiful in all well-watered localities, nocturnal, yet in the dense forest 

 tracts interspersed with sluggish streams " jans" emerging from the "bhils" 



