16 ON THE GEOGEAPHICAL 



be briefly described as of a golden- buff colour mottled with black and greyish 

 white above ; white below, plentifully marked with triangular spots of ashy 

 brown or blackish ; the under wing-coverts and axillaries also spotted ; the 

 leg-feathers and under tail-coverts pure white; face pure white, excepting 

 a rufous patch before the eye ; wings partaking generally of the character 

 of the upper surface, and distinctly barred across with dark brown and 

 orange, very apparent on the primaries when opened, but scarcely seen on 

 any of the secondaries. Seven bands are distinguishable on the tail-feathers, 

 an eighth being apparently lost in the mottling at the end of the feather. 

 Total length 14*5 inches, wing 125, tail 6*3, tarsus 2-35. 



The above short description is taken from a South-Australian specimen 

 in the British Museum, presented by Sir George Grey. Mr. Gould has also 

 given a similar bird to the same institution. This is the one described at 

 length in the ' Catalogue ;' but no locality is known for it beyond ^^Australia." 

 It measures: — Total length 15*5 inches, wing 13*4, tail 6'0, tarsus 2*55. 

 From its larger size it may be a female, and the foregoing bird the male. 

 The bands on the tail are only six\ and the spots on the flanks are larger, 

 many being of a horseshoe- shape. Otherwise, except for being a little more 

 yellow, it is very like the above-mentioned South- Australian bird. 



The Museum likewise contains a specimen, in the same type of plumage, 

 from Queensland. 1 have found that all the birds in, the National collection 

 from this province and from Northern Australia are paler in colour ; and it 

 is only in South Australia that I have found any specimens approaching in 

 their dark plumage and chestnut disks the Tasmanian Strix castanops. 

 Concerning the latter bird, Mr. Gould writes : — " Tasmania, and probably 

 the brushes of the opposite coasts of Victoria and New South Wales, are the 

 native countries of this Owl." He would probably consider that the bird 

 described by me as the " dark phase " of S, novce hollandicB (Cat. B. ii. 

 p. 304) is really a South- Australian specimen of S. castanops ; and this 

 confirms me in the correctness of my conclusion that the latter cannot be 



