133 On Birds collected in New Britain. 



Wing. Tarsus. Middle toe s. u. 



in. in. in. 



^ 7-40 1-30 0-90 



J 7-40 1-40 I-IO 



$ 7-GO 1-40 1-10 



6. Strix aurantiaca. (Plate II.) 



Strix aurantia, Salvad. Atti R. Accad. Sc. Torino, vol. xvi. 

 (May 20, 1881). 



The specimen sent of this curious Owl is thus ticketed by- 

 Lieut. Richards : — " Male : iris brown ; feet blackish ; bill 

 ash. Blanche Bay, New Britain. ^^ Its principal measure- 

 ments are : — Wing 8*85 inches, tail 3'90, tarsus 2-45, middle 

 toe s. u. 1*45. claw of middle toe 0-9, claw of inner toe 0*95, 

 culmen without the cere 1*05. Count Salvadori, who has 

 recently described this species, writes : — " Fcem. mari simil- 

 lima, sed valde major ;^^ he also gives particulars of its 

 markings and coloration, which will be further illustrated by 

 the accompanying figure of Lieut. Richards^s specimen. 



Whether this beautiful species has been rightly referred to 

 the genus Strix, cannot be decided with certainty until an 

 opportunity occurs for examining its osteological characters ; 

 but even if these agree with those of Strix, it must still, 

 I think, be considered an aberrant form of that genus, and 

 probably entitled to subgeneric distinction. 



The position of the eyes is near to the upper edge of the 

 disk, as in Phodilus ; the bill, feet, and claws are powerful, 

 and the latter much more developed in proportion to the 

 size of the bird than in either Strix, Phodilus, or Heliodilus ; 

 the tarsi are remarkable, being feathered all over at the 

 back, whilst the front is bare for an inch above the foot, 

 except some sparsely scattered hairs like those on the toes. 



The wing resembles that of Heliodilus in its general 

 shortness, and that of Phodilus in the fact of the first 

 primary being the shortest. The order of the primaries 

 in the New-Britain bird is : — the first is shortest, then the 

 sixth, next the second and fifth nearly equal, lastly the third 

 and fourth nearly equal, but the fourth a little the larger and 

 the longest of the series. 



