132 EGYPTIAN EARED OWL. 



It breeds in March, and the young as soon as fledged 

 resemble their parents; the brood consists invariably of 

 two." — Hodgson, "Asiatic Researches," xix., p. 170. 



The Hon. F. J. Shore, as quoted by Mr. Gould, in 

 his "Catalogue of Himal. Birds," says, "Builds in trees, 

 the nest being composed of large and small sticks, the 

 female laying two large eggs mottled with black, red- 

 dish brown, and white. Its native name in the Doon 

 is Hokra Cheel, the natives considering it among the 

 Cheel or Kite genus, and affirming that it is strong 

 enough, and does in fact, attack and kill wild cats." 



The description of the egg here given would lead to 

 the inference that the bird mentioned by Mr. Shore did, 

 as the natives surmised, actually belong to the Kite 

 genus. 



Strix ascalaplius is figured by Cuvier in the Regne 

 Animal; Temminck, Gould, etc. 



In the adult the body, wings, and tail are of a red- 

 dish white, variegated in different shades, and covered 

 with spots and streaks of a black broAvn, 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. 



It is included in Captain Loche's "List of Algerian 

 Birds," published in 1858; and there is also a notice 

 of its capture in Egypt, by Mr. E. C. Taylor, in the 

 "Zoologist," 4442. 



The figure of the egg of this bird is from a drawing 



