166 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on a 



Iris dark brown ; bill slate-black ; legs of a greyish-slate- 

 colour. 



Total length, measured in the flesh, 7'0-7-5 inches. 



[The Purple-crowned Lorikeet is gregarious and was 

 very plentiful throughout the central and south-western 

 divisions. It was generally seen feeding among the flowers 

 of the Eucalyptus trees and its flight was very swift. — 



g. a s:\ 



Ninox boobook Lath. 

 Ninox boobook Math. p. 43. 



a. ? . Big Grove, 15th April. 



b. $ iram. King River, 13th Jan. 



c. ? . Kurrawaug, 4th Oct. 



d. $ . Laverton, 18th Oct. 



The plumage of these Owls is very puzzling. Of the four 

 females listed above two specimens (a & c) are certainly 

 adult and one (b) is obviously young. All three have the 

 middle pair of tail-feathers uniform brown, with barely an 

 indication of lighter cross-bars in specimen b. Specimen d 

 appears to be a fully adult bird of the rufous-buff type. 

 The crown and nape are largely marked with rufous-buff, 

 and the middle pair of tail-feathers are conspicuously marked 

 with seven equally wide bars of dark brown and pale rufous- 

 brown. The material which I have examined seems to 

 indicate that this is merely an individual variation and is not 

 due to age. The colour of the iris seems to be very variable. 



a, b. Iris yellow ; cere and bill pale bluish, shading into 

 black at the tip ; legs of a light bluish-lead-colour, nails 

 dark brown. 



c. Iris brownish-black ; bill pale bluish, shading to indigo 

 at the tip. 



d. Iris of a dark greyish-sage-colour ; bill pale bluish, 

 shading to indigo at the tip. 



Total length, measured in the flesh, 13'0-13"5 inches. 



The wing-measurements are as follows: — a, 8*7 inches; 

 b, 8-9 ; c, 9-1 ; d, 9-1. 



[The Boobook Owl was plentiful. It is known to the 

 natives as the ' Morepork/ in imitation of its cry. — G. C. &.] 



