SURNIIN^, 143 



I got some eggs from the roof of my own house at Trichinopoly. 

 It lays usually two to four eggs, which are white and round, from 

 February to June. 



"The Maharattas," according to Sykes " have a superstition re- 

 garding this species, and a class of people, called ' Pingleh,' live on 

 the credulity of the people by pretending to consult it and predict 

 events," In Southern India it is regarded with aversion. It is 

 used by some Shikarees for catching smdl birds. They snare one, 

 or catch one with a rod and bird-lime, and taking it to the jungle 

 where the vnshed-for birds reside, tie it on the ground, near a low 

 bush, and smear most of the outer twigs of the shrub 

 with bird-lime. The little Owlet is soon espied by some 

 bird, and as it is notoriously held in dislike by all small birds, a 

 chatter of alarm is loudly given forth, and joined in by all new 

 comers, some of which perch on the well-limed branches, and 

 when the Shikaree sees those he wishes caught, he runs from his 

 place of concealment, and secures the captives. I am told that 

 this mode of capturing small birds is often resorted to in Italy and 

 the South of Europe. 



The next birds belong to the sub-gen. Tcenioglaux, Kaup ; they 

 have 1st quill shorter than the 10th, plumage with cross bands. 

 They are chiefly birds of India and Malayana. 



77. Athene Radiata, Tickell. 



Strix, apud Tickell, J. A. S. 11. — Blyth, Cat. 157 — Horsf., 



Cat. 79 — S. erythroptera, Gould — Noctua perlineata, Hodgson, 



J. A. S. V. 369 — N. cuculoides, apud Jerdon, Cat. 4:Q—Jungli 



Choghad H. Chagad in Nepal — Chota kalpencha, Beng — Adavi 



paint gunte, Tel. 



The Jungle Owlet. 



Descr. — Above brown, uniformly barred with close rays of ru- 

 fescent whitish and dusky ; wings more rufous, especially the 

 primaries, and barred with dusky brown ; some of the greater 

 coverts and scapulars with white spots, beneath, throat white, the 

 rest of the body barred transversely with dusky and whitish ; under 

 tail coverts white ; bill greenish horny ; irides golden yellow ; feet 

 greenish horny, with dusky claws. 



