MALAYAN ORNITHOLOGY. 117 
the jaw-bone of a rat, portions of beetles and dragonflies, some 
vegetable matter, and, lastly, a great red centipede measuring 7 
inches in length. 
This bird was a female, leneth 19 inches; irides golden yellow, 
legs grey, plumage pale rufous brown, the feathers having bold 
central streaks of dark brown ; wings and tail dark brown, barred 
with rusty white; throat and shoulders white; ear-plumes over 
2 inches in length; feet and talons very powerful. 
T kept one of these Owls alive in a cage for several weeks, 
feeding it on raw meat and dead birds. It throve well, but was 
exceedingly savage, so much so that when leaving Pérak, not being 
able to take the bird with me, and yet wanting its skin as a speci- 
men, I hardiy knew how to kill it without damaging its plumage 
or it tearing my hands, until I thought of chloroform; and a hand- 
kerchief soaked in that soporific and thrown over the bird’s head 
quickly solved the question. I once saw one of these Owls in 
Singapore ; it was flushed by the beaters when beating the jungle 
for sambur and pig. 
Scops temMpist1 (Horsf.). 
For some time, owing to their small size, I put down my speci- 
mens of this little Scops Owlas S. malayanus, (Hay); but they have 
now been identified by Mr. Gurney as Horsfield’s S. lempzji; and 
on carefully reading what Dr. Jerpon says on the subject, I see 
he states that there are several phases of S. lempzji. Both as 
regards plumage and size and with the description of his third, or, 
as he terms it, Malabar or rufous variety my birds agree. 
They now lie before me. in plumage exactly alike, but in length 
one measures 8 inches, the other 8? inches; both had yellow irides, 
thongh in the case of the smaller bird they were rather dull, with 
a brown tinge. 
I obtained two of these Owls alive by their flying into our 
barracks at Singapore; the first was caught late in October, the 
other on the 2nd December. 
Round Tanglin, Singapore, on a still evening, their mournful 
monotonous hoot was commonly to be heard; and soft and low as 
it seemed to be, it was wonderful at what a distance it could be 
heard, certainly at from a quarter to half a mile. I do not think 
