EGYPTIAN EARED OWL. 147 
most inaccessible caverns. Mr. Upcher shot one which, clashed out of 
a cave, as we were climbing for Griffons' nests, in the Wady Haman, 
and with the other barrel brought down a Woodcock which arose from 
another cave at the same time. We had two eggs brought to us near 
the Jabbok which could only have belonged to this bird. In the up- 
lands of Beersheba it is very common, and I have frequently put it 
up at noon-day. It invariably disappeared into some burrow after a 
short flight." Mr. Gurney has received specimens "from Magodar, 
which is probably its most westerly limit." 
I collate the following from Heuglin's "Orn. Nord. Ost. Afrika's:" — 
The Egyptian Owl has its home among the ruins and rocky hollows 
of Egypt, especially in the vicinity of Djizeh and in the valley of the 
royal tombs at Thebes. It is a resident, and seen usually in pairs. 
It comes out of its hiding-place at night, and feeds on bats, mice of 
the desert, rats, etc. It goes south as far as the middle of Nubia. 
It breeds in March and April in clefts of rocks and ancient Egyptian 
tombs. It lays two or three stumpy, oval, clear white eggs, one inch 
ten lines to two inches long, and one inch eight lines to nine thick- 
It was never seen by Heuglin resting on trees, only on rocks and 
ruins. If taken young it soon becomes tame. The down of the young 
is brownish grey. It occurs in Algeria, where it also breeds; in Tripoli, 
south of Europe, Asia Minor, and Pefsia(?). 
In the adult the body, wings, and tail are of a reddish white, 
variegated in different shades, and covered with spots and streaks of a 
black brown, lanceolate upon the head and nape, in great blotches on 
the wings, and in large bands or narrow zigzags on the primaries and 
tail quills. On the chest these marks are in the form of elongated 
drops, and upon the other inferior parts, of fine transverse zigzags; 
tail transversely barred with four or six narrow streaks of a blackish 
brown; under parts white; throat and middle of chest white; tarsi very 
long, clothed as well as the toes with a whitish down; beak black; 
iris yellow. 
Bubo ascalaphus is figured by Cuvier in the "Regne Animal.;" 
Temminck, Gould. 
