168 



Ceylon Ornithology. 



feathers have palish edges and white spots. Primaries have 

 brown above, with pale rufous bars, under surface white 

 barred. Under wing coverts fulvescent and streaked with 

 brown. Under surface of neck and breast rufous brown, 

 with fulvescent white edges to the feathers. Abdomen white 

 with large rufous brown spots. Tail dark ashy brown, with 

 broad blackish bars ; tip whitish. Upper tail coverts rufous 

 brown and spotted white ; under tail coverts white. Thighs 

 rufous. Bill bluish black, with a yellowish culmen. Irides 

 greenish yellow. Toes yellow, curved, with yellow bristly 

 hairs. Claws black. Length 11 inches. Wing inches. 



Not uncommon in the Cinnamon gardens at Colombo. 

 Feeds on insects and lizards. 



SUB-FJM: BUBONINjE. 



Ephialtes Lempijii, Horsf. The Lempiji Owl. 



Syn. Strix noctula, Reinw. 



Scops Javanicus, Lesson. 

 Scops Lempiji, Horsf. 



Brown spotted with fulvous and black. Breast and abdo- 

 men fulvous with blackish mesial streaks and inconspicuous 

 bars and specks. Yent whitish. Outer web of primaries 

 barred with light fulvous, inner web clouded dusky. Tail 

 clouded with pale fulvous brown. Tarsi pale, freckled. Bill 

 brown; irides reddish brown. Toes brown, claws brown. 



Length 7 \ inches. Wing 5| inches 



Some of the specimens are less fulvescent than others, and 

 the blackish spots more numerous, and with a more distinct 

 black patch on the top of the head. 



This is the most common of all Ceylon Owls; less common, 

 however, in the higher parts of the Island than in the Mari- 

 time provinces. It feeds chiefly on Coleopterous insects. 



