130 KETUPA CEYLONENSIS. 



follows concerning the food of this species : — " I once surprised a pair of them feeding on the carcase of an 

 alligator which I had shot a few days previously." 



Nidification. — In Ceylon the Fish-Owl breeds from February until May. It nests in hollow trees or in 

 crevices in rocks near water. The nest is scanty, consisting of a few sticks, and when placed in holes of trees 

 of nothing but the bare wood or, perhaps, a few leaves. The eggs are usually two in number, broad ovals in 

 shape, tolerably glossy in texture, and pure white. Two that I examined from the Kurunegala district measured 

 229 by 1-72 and 23 by T78 inch. 



In India this Owl sometimes tenants the deserted nest of a Fishing-Eagle, carefully lining it with grass 

 and feathers, and occasionally constructs its own nest in the recess of a large upright fork. 



