Zoological Society. 6J ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. February 14, 1854. — Dr. Gray, Vice-President, in the Chair. Notes on the Habits of Indian Birds. Part II. By Lieutenant Burgess. Family Strigidje. Genus Urrua, Hodgs. Urrua Bengalensis. I have found this large Owl common on the hanks of the large rivers, as also amongst the low jungly hills and patches of brush-wood in the Central Deccan. It appears to prefer the small bushy ravines covered with high grass, which lead down from the high banks into the beds of the larger streams and rivers. When seated on the top of a bush in the dim twilight, it forms quite a formidable object, the gloom making it appear larger than it really is. It does not appear to be strictly nocturnal, as I met with one sitting on the sandy shore of the river Bheema some time after the sun had risen. I never found the eggs of this bird ; but I have been in-formed, on good authority, that they make their nest at the foot of bushes in the tall grass, and lay four white eggs. I kept three nest-lings of this species for some time. When brought to me out of the nest, they were covered with down of a chestnut colour, spotted and streaked with dark brown. This Owl breeds during the months of March and April. Genus Noctua. NocTUA Indica, Frank. This is a very common Owl in Western India, so much so that every grove, and almost every large tree, appears to have some of this clamorous family inhabiting its holes and crevices. It is a most noisy bird, screeching and screaming ere the shades of evening draw on, and becoming quite a nuisance to any one pitched under the tree frequented by them. It appears to be very little incommoded by a strong light, moving out of its hiding-place before the sun is down, flitting backwards and forwards amongst the branches and from tree to tree. In the month of June I saw a pair of these little Owls sitting on the bare branch of a tree, with the brilliant morning sun shining full on them ; in fact, they appeared to be sunning themselves. On another occasion I shot a pair, sitting on a ledge of rock, in the full blaze of the setting sun. If disturbed during the day, they fly about with the greatest activity, uttering their squabbling note, and look down on the intruder from above with eyes that appear in no way incommoded by the light. In the stomachs of the last pair above mentioned, I found the wing-cases and legs of beetles. This little owl breeds during the months of February and March, laying three or four eggs of a pure white colour, nearly ly^ in. long and ly^^ in. broad. They lay their eggs in holes of trees.
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