Genus GLArCIDITTM. 

 Of small size. Bill short, rapidly curved from the cere. Cere tumid. Nostrils circular. 

 Facial disk obsolete, the loral plumes very long. Wings short, rounded, falling short of the 

 tail by more than the length of the tarsus ; 1st quill short, as in Ninox, 4th and 5 th quills sub- 

 equal and longest. Tail moderate. Tarsus stout, longer than the anterior toes, well feathered. 

 Toes covered with hairy plumes, claws rather long and acute. 



GLAUCIDIUM CASTANONOTUM. 



(THE CHESTNUT-BACKED OWLET.) 



(Peculiar to Ceylon.) 



Athene castanoptera, Blyth, J. A. S. xv. p. 280 (1846, nee Horsf). 



Athene castanotus, Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. p. 39 (1849) ; Kelaart, Prodromus, Cat. p. 116 



(1852); Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1853, xii. p. 105; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 259. 

 Tcenioglaux castanonotus, Bp. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 544. 

 Noctua castanonota, Schl. Mus. P.-B. Striges, p. 34 (1862). 



Athene castaneonotus, Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 295; Hume, Bough Notes, p. 412 (1870). 

 Athene castaneonota, Gray, Hand-1. B. i. p. 39 (1869); Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 418. 

 Athene castanonota, Legge, Ibis, 1874, p. 11. 



Glaucidium castanonotum, Sharpe, Ibis, 1875, p. 259 ; id. Cat. Birds, ii. p. 215 (1875). 

 The Ceylon Chestnut-winged Owl, Kelaart, Prodromus ; Chestnnt-ivinged Owl, Europeans in 



Ceylon. 

 Punchi-Bassa, Sinhalese ; Sin-Anda, lit. " Small Owl," Tamils in Ceylon. 



Supra castaneo-rufus, scapularibus extus nigro et fulvo faseiatim notatis, interdum sed rarius albo maculatis : tectri- 

 cibus alarum extus obscure nigro transfaseiatis, majoribus vix fulvo apicatim notatis : primariis fuscescenti-nigris, 

 extus rufescenti-fulvo indentatis, seeundariis castaneis obscure nigro transfaseiatis : supracaudalibus et rectrieibus 

 nigricantibus, anguste fulvo apicatis et 9-fasciatis : pileo cum nucha et collo postico, colli et capitis lateribus 

 nigricanti-brunneis, anguste rufescenti-fulvo transfaseiatis, interscapulio quoque paullo nigricanti fasciato : torque 

 collari albo indistincto, plumis quibusdam longitudinaliter et irregulariter albo notatis : plumis anteocularibus 

 albidis, scapis elongatis nigris : plumis oculo circumdatis albidis : mento albo, utrinque ad genas anticas 

 triangulariter extenso : macula jngulari magna alba : plaga lata gulari nigrieanti-brunnea fulvescenti-albo trans- 

 fasciata : pectore summo et laterali nigricante, castaneo lavato et rufescenti-fulvo transfasciato : pectore medio, 

 abdomine et subcaudalibus pure albis, his medialiter nigro notatis : hypochondriis rufescenti-brunneo longitudi- 

 naliter maculatis : tibiis et plumis tarsalibus albis brunneo maculatis et fasciatis : margine alari albido : subalaribus 

 et axillaribus albis flavo vix lavatis, illis conspicue subterminaliter nigro notatis : rostro pallide ohvaceo, rictu et 

 cera plumbeis : pedibus olivaceis : iride lsete flava. 



Adult male ami female. Length to front of cere 7'0 to 7'4 inches ; culmen from cere 0-6 to 0-62 ; wing 4-9 to 5-55 ; 

 tail 2-3 to 2-6 ; tarsus 0-9 to 1-1; middle or outer anterior toe OS, its claw (straight) 0-55; height of bill at 

 cere 03. Expanse 18 - 7 inches ; weight 4 oz. 



The above measurements are taken from a series of seven examples, in which the males exceed as a whole the females, 

 although one of the former has the wing 4 - 9 inches. 



Iris primrose-yellow, in some slightly mottled with brown at the outer edge ; eyelid dark olive-brown ; cere and gape 

 dusky greenish ; bill greenish horn-colour ; feet olivaceous, in some " woody " green, soles yellowish : claws 

 brown, pale at base. Layard erroneously describes the iris of this species as reddish brown. 



