C4 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



with dark brown, with a few minute white spots on the head 

 and shoulders ; under surface uniform deep sandy brown ; 

 sides of the neck and flanks sparingly marked with round 

 blackish spots ; thighs and legs the same, but destitute of 

 spots ; bill yellowish brown ; feet light yellow. 



Total length of the female 18 inches; bill 2J; wing 15; 

 tail 7 J tarsi 3J. 



Sp. 29. STRIX NOVJE-HOLLANDI^, Stepk 



Masked Owl. 



8trix ? Novee Hollandm, Steph., Cont. of Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. xiii. 



pt. ii. p. 61. 

 personata, Vig. in Proc. of Com. of Sci. and Corr. of Zool. Soc, 



part i, p. 60. 

 Cyclops, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 140. 



Strix personata, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. pi. 29. 



This bird, although nearly allied to the preceding, differs 

 in so many essential characters as to leave little doubt in 

 my mind of its being specifically distinct. It is confined to 

 the continent of Australia, over which it enjoys a wide range. 

 With the exception of the north coast, I have received speci- 

 mens from every part of the country. During my visit to the 

 interior of South Australia, numerous individuals fell to my 

 gun, which upon comparison presented no material variation 

 from others killed in New South Wales and Western Australia. 



If I were puzzled with respect to the changes to which the 

 Strix castanops is apparently subject, I am not less so with 

 those of the present bird ; for although I find the tawny and 

 buff colouring of the face and under surface is generally 

 lighter, I also find a diversity in the colouring of the different 

 parts of the under surface : in some specimens the face, all 

 the under surface, and the ground-colour of the upper are pure 

 white. Prior to iny visit to Australia I characterized speci- 



