40 
The Bengal Eagle Oivl. 
The Bengal Eagle-Owl. 
f Bubo bengalensis.) 
Bv Wksley T. Page, F.Z.S.. M.B.O.U. 
The Bengal Eagle-Owl is a very handsome species, of 
which at the moment 1 have three, a true pair, and one very 
fine odd bird (sex?). 
They form part of six consignments of Indian birds — 
whicli om- member Mr. E. VV. Harper sent me during' 1919 — 
the bulk of these consignments have already been distributed 
among private aviculturists — and are interesting' and beautiful 
birds. 
A glance at the plate accom])anying these notes will 
render a description unnecessary, if I state that the dark areas 
and markings of the plumage are a rich chocolate-brown; and 
the lighter, and light markings are two shades of rich tawny. 
I mucli regret a better photo could not be obtained, but 1 
have the bird in a large case, in a roomy unheated shed, and to 
increase this difificulty the light at this time of year has very little 
actinic-value; thus I was unal)le to use either a colour screen or 
orthochromatic plates, either of which would have required 
such an exposure that movement would have s])oiled all results, 
l^ater, as light improves, 1 hope to secure good photos in manv 
iiUeresting attitudes. 
Their call-note is a deep bass hoo-hoo and neither 
irritating nor disturbing. 
When 1 turned the iiair out of their travelling cage into 
the rough enclosure I had prei)ared for them, 6ft. x 8ft. x 12ft. 
high, thev showed their satisfaction by ilying on to stumps, 
tfai)ping their wings, uttering a succession of hoo-hou-hoos , 
then settling down into restful pose they favoured us with a 
prolonged stare and looked wise! 
The onlv thing 1 have been able to find about the wild 
life of this species is that they eat reptiles and crabs. 
Neither Dates nor Jerdon have anything to say about 
this species in fauna of British India-Birds or Birds of India. 
