298 ON THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF BARN-OWLS. 



former, as well as on the inner webs of the secondaries (which, in consequence, 

 show very white), are additional points ; while the feathers on the side of the 

 neck bordering the interscapulary region are white in the Australian, and 

 usually orange in the European Barn-Owl. 



Mr. Gould (Handb. B. Austr. i. p. 67) says that it is the most generally 

 distributed species of Strix in Australia. " I have observed it," he says, " in 

 almost every part of New. South Wales that I visited ; it is a common bird 

 in South Australia, and I have also seen specimens from Port Essington. 

 It has not yet been found in the colony of Swan River, nor can it be included 

 in the fauna of Tasmania." 



Mr. Ramsay (P. Z. S. 1875, p. 580) observes :^ — "I obtained one specimen, 

 shot near the township of Cardwell. It does not appear to differ from the 

 usual New-South-Wales form of this species." He likewise records it as 

 occurring at Port Denison, Queensland (Ibis, 1865, p. 84). 



Specimens collected in North-western Australia, on the Victoria and 

 Albert rivers, by Mr. Elsey are in the British Museum. 



Oceania. It occurs in many of the groups of islands. Forster (cf. 

 Finsch & Hartl. Faun. Centr.-Polyn. p. 16) records it from the New^ Hebrides 

 (Tanna), and Mr. Gurney notes its occurrence at Aneiteum. The British 

 Museum has also just received a specimen from the island of Manikollo, New 

 Hebrides, presented by Mr. Wykeham Perry. It is an inhabitant of New 

 Caledonia, where it is said to live in the woods (cf. Verr. & Des Murs, Rev. 

 et Mag. de Zool. 1860, p. 421). In the Friendly Islands it is known from 

 Tongatabu (^Forster), Vavao (Graeffe), Lefuka (Graeffe); in the Fiji group 

 from M'bao QBrenchley) ; in the Samoa group from Upolu (^Stair, Peale, 

 Graeffe), Savai {Graeffe, Knhary); w^iile, lastly, Mr. Dole (Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. 

 xii. p. 294) includes it as a bird of the Sandwich Islands. 



