18 



ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY, (CEYLON BRANCH. ) 



Pasdun Kdrales; frequents citronella grass estates and open lands 1 

 in the Galle district, more numerous however in the Kataragama 

 country, and probably frequent throughout the Eastern Province. 

 I did not observe it in the north-east, though Layard, loc. cit., 

 records it from Jaffna as one of our rarest Raptores, 



9. Circus Swainsonii, A. Smith. — The Pale Harrier; 

 Swainson's Harrier. Layard, Annals Natural History,1853, page 

 104. 



Local in distribution, common in parts. In the Southern Province 

 on large tracts of paddy land and open hill sides near Galle, in 

 parts of Tangalla and near Hambantota, and round the south-east 

 coast generally ; in the north-west and about Trincomalee, where 

 it is common. 



Note. — The Harriers, which are all winter visitants to this 

 country, arrive in September mostly in young plumage, and are 

 more numerous some years than others. 



10. Circus Cineraceus, Mont — Montague's Harrier. 

 Layard, Annals Natural History, 1853, page 105. 



Inhabits open bushy plains in dry parts of the country, differing in 

 its choice of habitat from the foregoing species, which frequents 

 by choice marshy and paddy lands in company with Circus CErugi- 

 nosus. Found about Colombo, but is rare; more numerous on the 

 south-east coast, tolerably frequent in the Kataragama district. 



11. Athene Castaneonota, Blyth, — The Chesnut-winged 

 Owl, Athene Castanoius, i?ZytfA— -Layard, Annals Natural History, 

 1853, page 105; also Kelaart, Prodromus Faunae Zeylanica, 

 page 110. 



This little owl, which is our only raptoral bird peculiar to the Island, 

 is local in its distribution. Inhabits both low and high country y 

 have seen it in Upper Dimbula ; common in the Knuckles district, 

 where it is found about mountain streams at sunset ; numerous in 

 the south-west, particularly up the Gindurah; found about Colombo 

 at times, frequenting also the Negombo districts. Recorded from 

 Nuwara Eliya (Kelaart, Podromus Faunae Zeylanica, Natural 

 History of Nuwara Eliya.) 



12.. Ninox hirsuta, Temm. — The brown Hawk-owl. Athene 

 Scutellata, Gray — Kelaart, Prodromus Faunae Zeylanica^pagel 10. 

 A. Scutellata, Raffles — Layard, Annals Natural History, 1853^ 

 page 106. 



This is the rarest owl. Found in the wooded districts round Bope 

 and Avisawella, also in the neighbourhood of Puttalam. I am 

 unable to say whether it is found in the hills, but I have seen it 

 once in the wooded country of the south-west. 



