ATHENE BOOBOOK. 



(Boohook Owl.) 



Facial disk, whitish in front, the hinder part, brown : upper surface, reddish brown ; wing coverts, scapularies, and inner w^ebs of the 

 secondaries, spotted with white ; tail feathers, alternately banded with dark and light brown : under surface, light reddish brown, with 

 irregular, blotches of white ; thighs, tawny buff; bill, dark horn color ; feet and irides, yellow. 



Length, 14; inches ; wing, 10; tail, 7f ; tarsus. If; bill (measured in a straight line), 1|. 



This species is found in the dense scrubs of Queensland, and is also met with in JSTew South Wales and the other Australian 

 Colonies, especially in tea-tree swamps or marshes in the neighborhood of woods. It is partially diurnal in its habits, and flies with great 

 swiftness, feeding as readily upon insects as upon small reptiles, mammals, and birds. The peculiar note which it utters at night resembles 

 the word Boo-book, and somewhat reminds one of that of the English Cuckoo when heard at a distance. By some colonists it is called the 

 Barking-bird, as its note, when heard near at hand, has a considerable resemblance to the bark of a dog — travellers having been diverted 

 from their path at night by its call, under the impression that they were in the neighborhood of some human habitation. When disturbed, 

 it rises swiftly to a considerable height, and makes a sudden descent into any hiding place in the vicinity ; and the similarity of its coloring 

 to the branch it selects is usually so great as to render it a matter of no little difficulty to discover where it has taken refuge. 



