296 MR. ALSTON ON FEMALE DEER WITH HORNS. [Mar. 18, 



The common Barn-owl of the Viti Islands is Strix delicatula, a 

 species so totally different that it is unnecessary to enter more fully 

 upon these differences. Suffice it to remark that the wings and 

 the tarsi are much longer in our new species. This latter comes 

 somewhat nearer to the light phase of Strix nova hollandice (sive 

 personata). But that is altogether a stouter bird, the feet and beak 

 being much stronger than in Strix oustaleti, whereas the tarsi and 

 the wings are proportionally longer in the new species. Strix nova 

 hollandia has the whole tarsi feathered with a thick white down ; 

 in Strix oustaleti the lower half of the tarsus is almost naked, and 

 the upper very thinly feathered. 



There are also many and very striking differences in the colours 

 of the two birds. The minute whitish vermiculation on the upper 

 parts of Strix nova hollandia is entirely wanting in Strix oustaleti. 

 The spots on the sides of the abdomen are more or less enlarged 

 and bar-like in Strix nova hollandia; they are of the same size and 

 form as those on the breast and epigastrium in Strix oustaleti. The 

 number of the dark bands in the primaries and the tail-feathers is 

 six in Strix nova hollandia, four in Strix oustaleti. The colours 

 of the tail-feathers are very different in the two birds, the interstices 

 being thickly mottled with brown and whitish in Strix nova 

 hollandia, fulvous and without any markings in Strix oustaleti. 

 The apical part of the greater remiges is broadly mottled with 

 whitish and brown in Strix nova hollandia, whereas it is of a uni- 

 form dark blackish brown in Strix oustaleti. 



The existence of two species oj Barn-owls in so small an island as 

 Viti-Levu is a curious fact. 



The type specimens of this description are and will remain in the 

 Museum Godeffroy at Hamburg. 



2. On Female Deer with Antlers. 

 By Edward R. Alston, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. 



[Eeceived March 4, 1879.] 



The occasional abnormal development of antlers in female Deer 

 (outside the genus Rangifer) presents some points of interest, as 

 bearing on the arrangement of the family Cervida, and on the 

 probable evolutionary history of these weapons. 



My attention has been lately turned to this subject by the 

 record of such an instance in the Roedeer (Capreolus caprcea, 

 Gray ] ), in the ' Field ' of the 18th January ; and I am indebted to 

 the courtesy of the gentleman who shot it, Mr. John B. Fergusson, 



1 I may here note that the name europcsus has been supposed to have 

 priority over Gray's specific title, being sometimes quoted as from J. Brookes's 

 'Catalogue' of his Anatomical and Zootomical Museum (1830), a reference 

 which has even found its way into Engelmann's ' Bibliotheca.' A copy of 

 this list is preserved in the library of the Royal Society ; and it proves to be 

 merely a sale-catalogue, with no claim whatever to be regarded as a scientific 

 publication. 



