the BIEDS of AUSTRALIA. 
Chandler {Emu, Vol. XIII., p. 36, 1913), writing on the bird-life of 
Kow Plains, Victoria, records Ninox hoohook, but notes: “Seen and heard in 
five places. The bird in the MaUee calls more rapidly than its representative 
in Gippsland forests.” 
As a contribution to the “ Mopoke v. Podargus ” call-note controversy, 
I quote Miss Muriel Cheney’s observations in the Emu, Vol. XIII., p. 215, 
1914 : For several months past I have heard at night a peculiar metallic 
call. It appeared to come from the creek, about a mile away, and was never 
heard earlier than 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. A few days ago I was watching a pair 
of Tawny Frogmouths {Podargus strigoides) flying about our garden, a little 
after sunset. Occasionally they uttered the call ‘ Oom, oom,’ as if com- 
municating something of importance to one another, especially after a 
sudden swoop on the part of either. A little later a Boobook Owl {Ninox 
boobook), a frequent visitor, fluttered into one of the pine-trees, and began 
its leisurely solitary call. Early in the morning I awoke, and hearing this 
metallic call, determined, if possible, to find the author thereof. It should 
be noted that the Boobook Owl continued its note during the time of which 
I am writing. Going out into the garden, I at first found it very difficult 
to locate the bird (presumably) for which I was looking. At times the cry 
appeared to come from the east, then from the north, and always from far 
away. Thinking it best to start the search from home, I stood first under 
one tree, then another, until, coming to an old, partially leafless eucalypt 
outside the school fence, I distinctly heard, above my head, the sounds, ‘ More 
pork, more pork,’ uttered very rapidly from seven to ten times in succession, 
with a pause of a minute or two before the next series of calls. I could not 
discern the bird, but it happened to fly down to a low branch, and, being 
between me and the setting moon, I could see it plainly — in fact, I could 
have touched it. It was a Frogmouth. For about twenty minutes I stood 
watching and listening, comparing the two calls as they happened to be uttered 
together. Then I followed the Frogmouth from tree to tree until it went 
to a distant paddock, where I could not follow. As a result of my obser- 
vations, I would say, firstly, that the Frogmouth does call ‘ More pork,’ and, 
secondly, that no one who has heard the Boobook Owl’s and the Frogmouth’s 
calls could ever mistake one for the other. I will indicate what I consider 
to be the chief points of dissimilarity. The Boobook Owl has a leisurely call, 
the Frogmouth a quick call ; the Boobook utters one call at a time, the 
Frogmouth from seven to ten calls in succession ; the Owl makes a slight 
pause between the two syllables ‘ Boo-book,’ the Frogmouth makes no 
appreciable pause between the two syllables ; the Owl has the distinct vowel 
sound ‘ 00 ,’ whereas P. strigoides utters the ‘ aw ’ in a guttural manner, not 
318 
