from British New Guinea. 27 



Sudest, Ferguson, Rossel, and other islets have been de- 

 termined ; of these several cannot be identified with species 

 previously known, so far as I am able to judge. As these 

 birds were procured hurriedly, they doubtless represent but 

 a very small proportion of the several faunas. If it were 

 possible to station a collector on one of the larger islands 

 Sudest, for example, so that a fairly complete knowledge of 

 its zoology could be obtained, science would be greatly 

 benefited. 



I now submit a descriptive list of the birds in your col- 

 lection : — 



1. An Owl from Goodenough Island, with the uniform 

 upper surface and tail of N. theomacha, from which it is dis- 

 tinguished by the bold pattern of its lower surface. It is 

 very like the small Owl of the Cardwell district of Queens- 

 land, noticed by me as a variety, lurida, of N. boobook, but 

 which is more probably a distinct species. The tail of the 

 young of N. boobook has been stated to be uniform, but this 

 I am not able to confirm, and as N. theomacha is the only 

 Ninox so characterized known to me, I am constrained to 

 regard the present bird as undescribed. 



Ninox goodenoviensis, n. sp. [Op. cit. p. 107.) 

 Upper surface, ear-coverts, and tail brown, all but im- 

 maculate. Back, scapulars, and least wing-coverts slightly 

 rufous. Head inclining to ashy brown. Scapulars with a 

 few small concealed white spots. Wings brown, the primaries 

 faintly barred with lighter brown on the upper surface of the 

 inner web ; on the under surface at the base with white ; 

 beyond the base with ash-grey, the bars ceasing some dis- 

 tance from the tips. Secondaries and tertiaries conspicu- 

 ously barred with white on botli surfaces of the inner web. 

 Tail uniform brown, paler on the lower surface. Frontal 

 and loral plumes with black shafts and grey webs. Throat 

 brown ; upper breast rufous, varied with white ; lower breast 

 and abdomen rufous ; each feather with a larger median 

 and smaller apical white spot on each side, these spots more 

 or less confluent, the rufous centres forming ill-defined longi- 



