( 209 ) 



brighter, the wings deeper blue. S. "Iris dark chocolate: hill black: basal lialf 

 of raanilible, except edges, white ; feet blackish brown." 



23. Halcyon chloris (Bodd.). 



A mri/i' and two /'emriles. The male is more bine and l>righter on the crown, 

 back, and wings ; thu /emidris more greenish and brownish, wings and tail not so 

 bright. Wing of <i IIU mm.; of the ¥ ? 108 and 110 mm. 



24. Centropus javanicus Dnmont. 



A very yonng male, just from the nest, which is, I think, referable to 

 C javanicus. 



25. Ninox ocellata (Hombr. & Jacq.). 



See Sharpe, Caf. B. 11. p. 170. A large series from Savu. I cannot find 

 differences to separate them from the true Australian X. occllatu, inhabiting Northern 

 and Western Australia. The adult male has the " iris golden yellow : bill and cere 

 dark plumbeous, clouded with black ; the feet grey, claws black." Young birds 

 have the " irides pale yellowish green or slaty grey ; the bill dark lead-colour to 

 almost black ; feet whitish to pale greenish grey, claws black." 



The males are smaller than ths/c males. The wing oij'emales measures 214 — 

 225 mm.; the wing of males 208 — 210 mm. The tail from above looks very 

 uniform, the central tail-feathers being only sometimes spotted with light patches, 

 and the outer webs of the outermost rectrices only rarely having some pale spots, 

 but as a rule not. Young birds are lighter ; the dark rufous brownish spots below 

 are paler, narrower, often indistinct ; the down is white. 



The occurrence of the typical form of this Australian owl in Savn is another 

 corroboration of the theory that the Australian birds are later immigrants, being 

 never or seldom differentiated, while the presumably (in contradiction to Wallace's 

 theory) earlier Indo-Malayan (and Molnccan) elements appear often much changed. 



20. Strix flammea delicatula (Gould). 



If it is possible to separate successfully the various races of barn-owls all over 

 the world — and I believe it will be possible to a certain extent — the above will be 

 the name we shall have to give to tlie owl which is very numerous in Savn, for the 

 specimens from that little island, of which Mr. Everett has sent a very fine series _ 

 are ijuite like Australian sjjecimeus, being above very pale and greyish, below whiti>, 

 with more or less, or even almost without, small blackish spots. The similarity 

 between the great number of skins from Savu is very great and striking, although 

 there is of course a certain amount of variation. 



The bird from Kalao, mentioned on p. 17T of Vol. 111. of this journal, differs 

 from all these in being much more golden-brownish above, especially on the tail. 

 It seems to be more like the Indian form, which is perhaps not separable from the 

 lOnropean one. 



On the other hand, the Sund)a birds (one collected by Doliorty, as mentioned on 

 p. 588, and five sent since by Everett) dill'er in being slightly larger, the bill liigher 



