THE BIEDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
to one of the specimens in the collection, a young male, Mr. Caley notices 
some variation in the colour of the irides'' 
They then described (p. 189) Noctua maculata with the diagnosis : “ N. 
superne brunnea, maculis rotundis albis notata, abdomine ferrugineo-brunneo, 
maculis grandioribus ; digitis pilosis.” 
A detailed description in Latin is added, and then a note : “This bird 
much resembles the last species. Having, however, seen several specimens 
of it in fine preservation, we are at present inclined to consider it distinct. 
The chief points on which we ground this opinion are, that the latter bird 
is much smaller than N. hoohook, the colour is less ferruginous, and the white 
spots are much more frequent, and distinctly marked. The fascice on the 
tail-feathers also in our bird are more conspicuous.” 
No locahty is given in either case, but reference to Mr. Caley indicates 
New South Wales as the place whence the typical birds came, and the novelty 
has since by common consent been accredited to Tasmania, which has been 
fixed as the type-locality. 
When Gould worked up this group, he described a bird as Athene 
marmorata, but never figured it {Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.) 1846, p. 18), from 
South Australia, mainly on account of its larger size, as here quoted : 
“ All the upper-surface, wings and tail dark brown, obscurely spotted 
with white round the back of the neck, on the wing-coverts and scapularies ; 
inner webs of the primaries at their base, and the inner webs of the lateral 
tail-feathers crossed by bands, which are buff next the shaft and white towards 
the extremity of the webs ; face and chin whitish ; under-surface dark 
brown, blotched with white and sandy-brown ; legs and thighs fawn colour ; 
bill horn colour ; feet yeUow. 
“ Total length, 14 inches ; bill IJ ; wing 9^ ; tail 6 ; tarsi 2. 
“ Hab. South Australia. 
“ Remark. Nearly allied to Athene maculata, but much exceeding that 
species in size.” 
Bonaparte, in the Consp. Gen. Av., Vol. I., 1850, admitted Athene 
maculata {=clelandi), marmorata, hoohook and novoezelandice and added: Athene 
ocellata, Hombr. et Jacquin, Voy. au Pole Sud. Ois., t. 3, 2, ex Oceania. 
Media : brunnea, rufescenti varia ; subtus rufescens, maculis magnis, rotundis, 
albis ; gula pure alba ; alls modice longis ; tarsis rufescentibus ; digitis 
cinereis, basi tantum pilosis.” 
This name has given trouble, as hereafter shown, as it was accepted by 
Sharpe in the Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum, Vol. II., for the 
North and North-west form of this species. 
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