Steiges. 



2. Strix castanops. 



The Chestnut -faced Owl, Tasmaaian Oiol. 

 Strix castanops, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1836, p. 149; iil. Syn. Bd^. 

 Austr., pi. 49, fig. 2 (1838) ; Gray, Gen. Bds., vol. i, p. 41 (1845) ; 

 Gould, Bds. Aiistr., fol. vol. i, pi. 28 (1848); Bonap., Consp. Av., 

 torn, i, p. 54 (1850); Stricld., Orn. Syn., p. 181 (1855) ; Schleg., 

 Mus. P.-B. Strlges, p. 7 (1862) ; Gould, Handbl: Bds. Austr., 

 vol. i, p. 62, S27. 28 (1865) ; Gray, Hand-list Bds., vol. i, p. 53 (1869) ; 

 SharjK, Cat. Bds. Brit. J\Ius., vol. ii, p. 304 (1875) ; Barnsay, Proc. 

 Linn. Soc. JST.S.W., vol. 2, p. 178 (1877); id. Tab. List Austr. 

 Bds., -p. 2 (1888); Sharpc, Index Gould's Worls, p. 317 (1893); 

 Gurney,jun., Cat. Bds. Prey, p. 43 (1894). 



Dactylostrix castanops, Kaup. Contr 

 Zool, Soc., vol. iv. p. 248 (1862). 



Orn. 1852, p. 119; id. Trans. 



Adult male. The ■whole of the upper and under surface of the 

 body of a rich chestnut inclining to chocolate-red, all the feathers 

 of the head, neck and mantle with the ends black, sparingly, 

 faintly and minutely vermiculated with white, a small white dot 

 at the tip of each feather, and occasionally an obsolete cross band 

 about the middle of the feathers adjacent to the scapulars ; on 

 the back and interscapular region they are distinctly barred as 

 well as tipped with black, and the apical portion vermiculated 

 with very fine white zigzag lines ; upper tail-coverts similarly 

 marked and tinted. Tail feathers deep orange-buff, with five 

 distinct broad black bands on all except the outer two which 

 show four only, but on the centre two the remains of a sixth 

 band is visible on the basal portion of the feathers, the interspaces 

 are vermiculated with black and on the extreme tip a few white 

 dots appear. AV^ings : primaries dark brown, whitish towards the 

 base on the inner webs, crossed by six broad blackisli bands, the 

 interspaces on the outer webs orange-buff or deep chestnut, and 

 freckled with black, secondaries with a few very minute dots of 

 white on the end of the feathers, the scapulars similar but more 

 uniformly coloured, no white on the inner webs, the black bands 

 irregular, some narrower and broken and with a very few white 

 dots on the apical portion of the feathers. Eacial disc rufous or 

 deep chestnut, the eye spot black, the frill varying from chestnut 

 to deep rufous, the plnmes all more or less tipped or broadly 

 margined with black on the gular region, they are lighter on 

 their lower parts, but the black margins are wider. All the 

 under surface rich chestnut, an oval spot of black at the tip of 

 each feather, smaller on the chest and under wing-coverts, larger 

 on the flanks ; legs chestnut without spots ; on the under primary 

 coverts a large blotch of blackish-brown at the tips, bill horn 

 yellow ; feet and claws light brown, iris yellow. 



