( 283 ) 



The other curious specimen is an adnit male from Cape York, collected by 

 Mr. A. S. Meek on August 4, Is'.iS. The upper surface is entirely black and white, 

 without all yellowish or rufous colour, the underside pure silky-white with only 

 very few tiny blackish spots. Wing, 286 mm. This is most likely a new race, 

 but we tlo not venture to separate it on the evidence of one single bird ! 



Last of all we come to 



Tyto novaehollandiae castanops 

 from Tasmania. 



This subsf)ecies is supposed to be very distinct, so that it was even kept 

 separate by Sharpe in 1875 (Gat. B. Brit. }[ks. ii. p. 3U5), who had, a few pages 

 before, united T. a., "//awwcj" (auct.) from Central Europe, T. a. alba from the 

 Mediterranean, iiimlaris, poensis, indica, di'licatula, pratincola (!), furcata (!), 

 punctat)ssim%, etc. etc. etc. We (|uit'! ai^ree that custfinops must be separated 

 as a subspecies on account of the generally more or.inge-butf upperside, generally 

 Hark brownish underside, brown ftieial disc, and averaging larger size. There 

 are, however, specimens with the up[)erside quite as in typical novaehollandiai', 

 while others have the underside almost whitish, and the facial disc much lighter. 

 Wings, S 318 or 3:^(1, ? 3o(l— 37o mm. 



III. FoR5Is ol'" Trro rt-.y^stiicosA. 

 1. Tyto tenebricosa tenebricosa 

 has been restricted to New South Wales by Mr. Mathews. 



2. Tyto tenebricosa multipunctata Mathews. 



yoi'. Zool. x\x. p. 25.5 (January 1012 — North Queensland, type locality : Johnston River). 



Diagnosis : " Diflers from 7' f. tenebrkos'i in its smaller size, and more 

 spotting above and below. Wing, 203 mm. ; typ. w. 290 mm." 



This is, judging from the material available— /.('. the type in Mr. Mathews' 

 collection and two males from Cedar Bay in North Queensland — collected by 

 Mr. A. S. Meek, in the Tring Mnsenm, an e.xcellent new form. We measure the 

 type with a wing of 26.0, and our two males from Cedar Bay with wings of 24ii 

 and 242 mm. We believe, however, that the type is wrongly sexed, being a 

 female, not a male. The upperside is ornamented with much larger white spots 

 and more distinctly mottled witli whitish. 



3. Tyto tenebricosa magna Mathews. 



Nov. Zrjiil. xix. p. 258 (January 1912—" Victoria "). 



Diagnosis : " Differs from T. t. tciiehricoan in its larger size, darker coloration, 

 and less spotting. Wing, 343 mm.; typ. w. 21)0." 



We are sorry to say that Mr. Mathews has described tlio female as a new 

 subspecies from comparison with males. Had he cast one glance at our series 

 of Ti/to teni'hrirjmi nrfaltl from British New (Jninea, or looked uj) statements of 

 writers on Australian birds, he would have found tliat the sexes differ enormonsly 

 in size in these birds. In our 7'. t. arfniti, for example, we find males with wings 

 of 255, and females from the same place with wings of 3i)0 mm. Moreover, the 



