158 
SYRNIUM INDRANI. 
Racket-tailed Drongos ( Dissemurus lophorhinus ) ; so that the “ Devil-bird,” notwithstanding its redoubtable 
sobriquet, does not appear to be much respected, by the King-Crows at any rate ! 
There is no bird in Ceylon to which so much interest attaches, both among the European and indigenous 
population, as the present. If the subject of ornithology be mooted in conversation, questions are invariably 
asked as to the “Devil-bird,” What is it ? have its direful notes been heard? and so forth. Very diverse 
opinions have always existed as to the identity of the bird, notwithstanding that the natives of the island, and 
consequently those who have worked at its ornithology and gathered much of their knowledge of the habits of 
its birds from them, have always attributed the discordant notes uttered by some nocturnal bird to the present 
species. Ivelaart writes, “ The shriek of the Devil-bird (£>. indrani) is truly appalling. The superstitious natives 
listen to these dismal cries with great horror ; some death or less misfortune is apprehended when an Owl 
sings (?) nightly over a hut or on a tree overshadowing it.” Layard follows with the information that the 
Wood-Owl “ litters the most doleful cries, which the natives consider the sure signs of approaching evil.” 
Sir E. Tennent writes that the Sinhalese regard this Owl “ literally with horror, and its scream by night 
in the vicinity of a village is bewailed as the harbinger of impending calamity ;” and further that there is a 
“ popular legend in connection with it, to the effect that a morose and savage husband, who suspected the 
fidelity of his wife, availed himself of her absence to kill her child, of whose paternity he was doubtful, and on 
her return placed before her a curry prepared from its flesh. Of this the unhappy woman partook, till 
discovering the crime by finding the finger of her infant, she fled in frenzy to the forest, and there destroyed 
herself. On her death she was metamorphosed, according to the Buddhist belief, into an Ulama or Devil-bird, 
which still at nightfall horrifies the villagers by repeating the frantic screams of the bereaved mother in her 
agony.” 
I have been assured by gentlemen in Ceylon that the Owl which makes these wonderful noises is a small, 
whitish bird, and some have told me that they have seen it in the act of uttering them. This description would 
seem to indicate the next species, a bird until lately quite unknown in the island. The author just quoted 
publishes, in a footnote at page 248 of his ‘ Natural History of Ceylon/ a letter from Mr. Mitford, late of the 
Ceylon Civil Service, and one who took great interest in the birds of the island, from which it will appear that 
this gentleman was doubtful as to the identity of the Devil-bird. lie says, " The Devil-bird is not an Owl. 
I never heard it until I came to Kurunegala, where it haunts the rocky hill at the back of Government-house. 
Its ordinary note is a magnificent clear shout like that of a human being, and which can be heard at a great 
distance, and has a fine effect in the silence of the closing night. It has another cry like that of a hen just 
caught ; but the sounds which have earned for it its bad name, and which I have heard but once to perfection, 
are indescribable, the most appalling that can be imagined, and scarcely to be heard without shuddering. I 
can only compare it to a boy in torture, whose screams are being stopped by being strangled. The only 
European that had seen and fired at one agreed with natives that it is of the size of a pigeon with a long tail. 
I believe it is a Podargus or Night-Hawk.” I believe myself that there is no doubt about the bird being an Owl, 
as none of the Nightjars in Ceylon ever utter notes at all resembling these cries. The natives, however, who 
brought me my young specimens of the Wood-Owl at Galle did not seem to know that they were the birds 
accredited with these noises, but simply called them Bakkamuna, or “ Large Owl.” Mr. Holdsworth, who was 
of opinion, from the description given him by natives of the Devil-bird, that it was an Owl, was fortunate 
enough to hear its cries one night in the Aripu district, but was unable to discern the author of them. While 
watching at a waterhole for the purpose of shooting bears, he was suddenly alarmed by piercing cries and 
convulsive screams suddenly issuing from a small patch of bushy jungle about thirty yards from his hiding- 
place. He says, “ My hunter at first thought a leopard was there, and told me to keep quiet ; but the cries 
increased, and became so horribly agonizing, that it was difficult to believe murder was not being committed. 
Before I reached the place all was silent as before, and the idea of the Devil-bird flashed across 
my mind. This was afterwards confirmed by the hunter, who, however, did not care to talk much about it.” 
My readers will gather from the above summary of evidence that there does exist in Ceylon some nocturnal 
bird which utters very singular notes, but that it is not quite clear what the species really is. The natives at 
different times and different places have given me the most contradictory answers concerning the delinquent; 
but in many parts of the island they believe that it is the Brown Wood-Owl, and from them Messrs. Kelaart 
and Layard received the idea it was so, and hence the general idea current among Europeans as to the supposed 
