36 BIRDS OF NEW ZEALAND. 



in Nyctea scandiaca, Linn. (Snowy Owl), have a black pupil and straw-coloured 

 iris. In Buho ignavus, T. Forster (Eagle Owl), the iris is orange-yellow ; and 

 I observe in a bird of this species known to be eight years old, the colour of 

 the iris is much darker. The eyes of these individual birds vary in colour. 

 The Wood-Owl QSyrnium striduld) has eyes like Sceloglaux albi/acies, with a 

 reddish eyelash. In the Mottled Owl (^Strix asio) the pupil is black, the iris 

 straw-colour. The Little Owl (Carine noctua) has eyes like Strix asio. 

 Dr. Buller says (Birds of New Zealand, p. 18) of Spiloglaux nova, zealandice: 

 — " On the approach of night its whole nature is changed : the half-closed 

 orbits open to their full extent, the pupils expand till the yellow irides are 

 reduced to a narrow external margin, and the lustrous orbs glow with 

 animation, while all the movements of the bird are full of life and activity." 

 All this is quite the case with the White-faced Owl, except that its irides are 

 not yellow. The bird is strictly nocturnal ; and the two here depicted sit 

 all day in a corner on the ground, close up together. More gentle animals 

 could not be ; they allow themselves to be handled without any resentment. 

 On March 1st last I tied their legs together, and put each bird into the 

 scales ; the dark one weighed 1 lb. 4^ oz., the light one 1 lb. 5|- oz. I fancy 

 the facial disk of the lighter bird has become whiter since I received it. New 

 Zealand possesses many fine forms, which to me, who confess to some enthu- 

 siasm in these things, are intensely interesting ; but few are more so than 

 Stringops habroptilus and Sceloglaux albi/acies — both being strictly nocturnal, 

 the one an Owl-like Parrot, the other an Accipitrine Owl. I do not make 

 out the latter to be such a bad flyer, judging from these specimens ; but 

 it is not always easy to speak on this point. Nocturnal species seldom show 

 much in captivity — the Laughing Owl, for instance, being provokingl}^ mute. 



