154 
[No. 2, 
W. T. Blanford — On Birds from Sikkim. 
as April, and I suspect the bird to be a permanent resident in the plains, 
and probably spread elver the northern and eastern part of India. Like 
other Chinese birds, it may be wanting in Western India. 
My observations on the habits of M. melanotis differ from those of Mr. 
Hume so far, that although at times it is certainly wary and difficult of 
approach, in other cases I have met with it close to human habitations. 
I shot one flying over my tent, and another a few paces away, near a village 
in each case, and a third, a fine adult female, I shot sitting on a tree in the 
middle of a village. I expect Milvus govinda, if it found itself limited, 
would prove equally wary. 
71. H iram a Nipalensis, Hodgs. 
I obtained a single specimen of this fine owl in the Tista valley, Sikkim, 
a little below Chungtam at an elevation of about 4000 feet. It was sitting 
on a high tree, in lofty, rather open forest, and calling at about 3 o’clock 
in the afternoon.* The cry is a single deep hoot. Unfortunately the body 
was thrown away without my determining the sex. I took measurements 
before skinning, and the following is a brief description of the plumage which 
differs somewhat from that noted by Dr. Jerdon. 
Above dark hair brown, all the feathers, except those of the head, having 
the margins mottled with pale fulvous, the amount increasing on the lower 
back, until some of the feathers are mottled throughout. Upper tail coverts 
with several rather broad fulvous bars. Scapularies with broad irregular 
mottled bands and tips, and some of the largest with nearly the whole outer 
web pale isabelline fulvous, forming a distinct bar. Ear tufts 3y inches long, 
blackish brown on the greater portion of the outer webs, mottled with white 
on the inner and base of the outer, the white prevailing towards the base on 
the longest feathers. Lores with long bristly plumes, which are dirty white 
near the base, and tipped brown ; ear coverts greyish white, the upper ones 
tipped brown ; quills earthy brown, the primaries faintly banded, secondaries 
with broad mottled bars on the outer webs becoming white on the inner. 
Outer tail feathers similar to the secondaries, central with about six mottled 
bars ; all the rectrices tipped pale brown, whitish at the extreme end. Chin 
with greyish bristly feathers like the lores, all the rest of the under parts, 
under wing coverts, tibial and tarsal feathers white with huge brown spots. 
Toes feathered nearly to the base of the claws. Iris brown, bill and toes 
yellow, claws dusky at points, pale at base. Length (of fresh specimen) 21), 
expanse 58, wing 17'5, tail 9'25, tarsus 3,f bill from gape 2'1, from end 
* Mr. Hodgson, in his original description of this bird, As. Bos. XIX, p. 172, 
mentions its diurnal habits. 
+ This I find in my note book, but I make the dried tarsus about 2f to 2f, it is 
very difficult to measure on account of the thick feathers. Jerdon gives 2 in., which is 
certainly too little, but his measurements are those of H. pectoralis. 
