I 28 D'OmbRAIN, Some Birds of the Caster ton District. [sth "jan. 



— " With regard to the birds mentioned it may not be altogether 

 out of place to mention in a report of this nature (as showing 

 the presence of disease amongst all vertebrates) that no fewer 

 than 1 3 specimens of the Lesser Masked Owl have been brought 

 under my notice, having been picked up dead or dying, some in 

 pairs, others singly. On examination, their bodies were wasted 

 and starved in appearance." 



Their habits are much the same as the whole class of Owls, 

 and the only other note I have about them is that they lay as 

 many as three eggs, and they will take the carcass of a small rabbit 

 to a hole in a tree and will feed on it there during daylight, as 

 has been proved by the appearance of the recently torn flesh 

 of a rabbit found in the " camp " just vacated by the bird. Last 

 season I had three " in the down," taken from a nest. They 

 were " leggy " balls of down with the facial disc showing plainly. 

 Evidently these feathers are the first to make their appearance. 

 I photographed these and also an adult bird with the wings 

 spread in flight, the bird being tethered. One of the young ones, 

 when fledged, recently scored first prize in a suburban show, 

 and is now " at home " in the Melbourne Zoological Gardens. 

 They make a hissing sound when angry, and are very 

 " snappy." The eyes deepened in colour as the bird ^rew, till 

 they were inky-black. 



Chestnut-faced Owl {Strix novcp-hollandicp, sub-sp. castanops). 

 — This is supposed to be a doubtful species, but I feel pretty 

 confident that the specimen of Owl which I have got in this 

 district is a quite distinct bird from S. novcB-hollandicE . In this 

 specimen the facial disc is entirely difTerent in colour from that 

 of the Masked Owl, having no purple hue about the face, and the 

 circumference of the disc is a pure chestnut ; also there is no 

 ring of dark feathers on the disc at all. The under surface of 

 the whole bird is uniformly pure white — neither streaks nor 

 spots on the feathers — and the general colouring of the whole 

 of the upper surface is much lighter and has much more chestnut, 

 in blotches, on it. finally, the whole appearance is at a glance 

 different from that of the Masked Owl, and on close inspection 

 is markedly so. My specimen was shot in a tree along with a 

 Delicate Owl. They were " hooting," and thus drew attention 

 to their presence. It was a male bird, and measured from tip 

 to tip of wings 40 inches. One wing was 17 inches, and total 

 length of bird 14^ inches. I intend having the specimen fully 

 identified, if possible. 



Winking Owl {Ninox connivcns). — I know very litttle about 

 the habits of this Owl, though the species is fairly plentiful here. 

 Probiibly their general grey colour saves them from detection. 

 These birds are frequently caught by the legs in rabbit traps. 

 I have had two live specimens so taken. One had a dislocated 

 " knee," which I reduced. On two subsequent occasions it was 

 re-discolated and reduced, till finally it became so thickened and 



