FISH-01VIS. 
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India, Malayana, and China, and is characterised by the possession of large 
ear-tufts; while the second (Scotopelia) is African, and lacks those appendages. 
Of the Oriental genus one of the best known species is the Indian fish-owl 
( G. ceylonensis), which inhabits Palestine, India, Ceylon, the countries on the 
east of the Bay of Bengal, and part of China. It is a large bird, measuring 
25 inches in length; and is of a general tawny colour above, with the individual 
feathers broadly streaked with black down the middle. The quills are brown with 
pale bands; the tail is also brown with pale fulvous bars; while the greater part 
of the under surface is golden tawny, with black streaks down the middle of the 
breast-feathers. The feet are dark; and, as in all the other members of the genus, 
the eyes bright yellow. 
This fish-owl inhabits wooded districts near water, and is mainly nocturnal, 
although Prof. V. Ball writes that he has seen one flying in the daytime. Jerdon 
says that “it roosts during the day in the densest part of the jungle, coming forth 
to feed shortly after sunset, and generally making its way to the nearest water, be 
it a tank, brook, or river. Here it may be seen sitting on some overhanging rock 
or bare tree, occasionally uttering its loud dismal cry, which Tickell well likens to 
haw, haw, haw, ho, calling it a repulsive laugh. It feeds much on fish, and more 
particularly on crabs.” Mr. Hume states, however, that he invariably found the 
remains of birds or small mammals round their breeding-places. And he subse¬ 
quently observes that these owls breed from December to March, but appear as a rule 
to lay in February. “ They always nest in the vicinity of water, sometimes choosing 
a cleft in rocks overhanging a mountain stream, sometimes a broad shelf in the 
clay cliffs of some river, sometimes a huge cavity in some old banyan tree, and at 
times appropriating an old nest of Halia'etus. Where they make their own nest, 
on a ledge or recess of a cliff, it consists of little but a few sticks, mingled with a 
few feathers, or, when in holes of trees, of a few feathers and dead leaves; but 
when they annex an old nest of the fishing-eagle’s, they seem to line it more 
carefully with finer twigs, grass, and feathers.” The usual number of eggs 
is two. Mr. G. Marshall writes that in the Saharunpur district he found a nest 
situated in the fork of a banyan tree, about 25 feet from the ground, the hollow 
being so deep that the parent bird when sitting could not be seen from the ground. 
To this nest the birds returned for three consecutive years. 
African Of the three species of African fish-owls, two are restricted to 
Fish-Owls, the west side of the Continent, from the Gabun to Senegambia, while 
the third (S. peli ) is common to those districts and the neighbourhood of the 
Zambesi mouth. Pel’s fish-owl is the largest, measuring 23 inches in length. 
In habits these owls appear to be very similar to their Oriental cousins, fre¬ 
quenting the borders of lakes and rivers, but they are all comparatively rare. 
A captive specimen fed eagerly on fish, which is probably the food of these birds 
in the wild state. The general hue of the plumage in Pel’s fish-owl is deep rufous- 
bay above, marked with transverse black bars; while beneath it is pale bay, with 
heart-shaped black markings. The iris of the eye is dark brown, instead of the 
yellow tint characterising the Oriental fish-owls. We have not met with any 
account of the nesting-habits of this species, while nothing is known of the two 
others in the living state. 
