THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
The first record of an Austro-Neozelanic Owl is that given by Latham in 
the General Synopsis of Birds, Vol. I., 1781, p. 149, where he described the 
“New Zeeland 0(wl). N(ew) S(pecies). Size of the Little Owl. Bill horn 
colour, with a black tip ; iris yellow ; general colour fulvous ; but the upper 
parts of the body are brown, spotted with white, with a mixture of fulvous ; 
the under-parts are fulvous, but the circle round the face is somewhat paler 
than the rest. 
Inhabits New Zeeland — ^I think Dr. Forster, who mentioned the above 
species to me, said in Queen Charlotte'' s Sound, but am not certain.” 
This description was Latinised by Gmelin under the name Strix novae 
seelandioe (Syst. Nat., p. 296, 1788) as follows : 
“St. iridibus flavis, corpore supra fusco albo-maculato, subtus fulvo. 
New Zeeland Owl. Lath. syn. 1.1, p. 149, n. 39. 
“ Habitat in nova Seelandia, passerinse magnitudine ; rostro corneo 
apice nigro. Forster.” 
Later Latham {Gen. Synops. Suppl. I., p. 48, 1787) gave a better 
description from a specimen in the collection of Sir Joseph Banks, almost 
certainly the one figured and described by Forster. Upon this latter description 
Latham {Index Ornith. 1790, p. 65) based his name Strix fulva, citing 
Gmelin’s name as the synonym of the variety which he made of the first 
described bird. 
This would not have concerned us much had it not been that Kerr 
brought out a splendid English translation of Gmelin’s work in 1792 which, 
however, did not get beyond the Crows. This work has hitherto been over- 
looked by ornithologists, though constantly referred to by students of Mammals, 
and it appears that Kerr was the father of the present usage of trinomials 
for varieties, not of geographical races alone. 
In the present case he proposed (p. 538) S{trix) novceseelandioe for S. fulva 
Latham as being the best description and S{trix) novaeseelandiae maculata for 
the variety first described by Latham and the form named S. novceseelandioe 
by Latham. 
I will have more to write about Kerr’s book in connection with the next 
Order, but make this note here, as Kerr’s name invalidates the usage of 
maculata Vigors and Horsfield for a form of the present species. 
Forster’s name of Strix fulva, which had been used by Latham probably 
at Forster’s suggestion, was not published until 1844 {Descr. Anim., Ed. Licht., 
p. 71), when the locality was given as Queen Charlotte Sound. In the British 
Museum (Natural History) there is preserved the painting of this bird made 
by G. Forster, as recorded in the Hist. Coll. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Vol. II., 
p. 180, 1906. 
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