VICTORIA 127 



The White Owl of the plains (T. longimembris). 



Owls have facial discs, and they do not see later- 

 ally as most birds do. Their plumage is so soft as 

 to be able to quickly follow up the advantage of 

 sharp eyes. In some owls there are two sets of 

 down feathers before the ordinary plumage arrives. 



Food is composed of the animal life peculiar to 

 the hills or the plains, and each type of owl helps 

 to keep the balance of nature. 



The White or Grass Owl has particularly long 

 legs, using them freely as a ground feeder. It 

 camps mostly under tussocks. If a plague of mice 

 enters Victoria from Queensland the owls will fol- 

 low. The range of this owl is across to India. 



EXTENSIVE SHORE LINE 



Continental. 

 Insular. 

 (Plate 2, Fig. 54) 

 The White-eye (Zosterops) comes of a remark- 

 able family. In the first place it has a continental 

 distribution in Australia only, keeping away from 

 the dead heart with its ordinary annual rainfall of 

 4^ inches. 



Like the glou morceau among pear trees it has 

 a love of the sea, if one may judge from map 54. 

 In the extra Australian lands the sea coasts attract 

 it. In the extreme north-east limit of its range, 

 ]a.pkn claims the White-eye as the largest of its 

 kind, and insular. Oflf our own coasts in Torre? 



