DELICATE OWL. 
Museum. He found it dead near the back door of the homestead of his 
property at Hichmond, some sixteen miles north-east of Hobart. For years 
past it, or its like, had frequented his outhouses. It appears to me to be a 
dark race of the mainland Strix delicatula, the vermiculations of the dorsal 
surface being scarcely visible. The tail is pure white, with only a faint tinge 
of pale orange on one portion of the upper-surface. Although one specimen 
is alone available for record, the white of the under-surface of it is so very 
clear, and the deep brownish-grey of the upper-surface so devoid of tawny 
or pale orange, that it appeals to me as being an insular form of the mainland 
species. The characteristic feature of this specimen is that it is deep brownish- 
grey, with scarcely any orange upon it, causing it to appear sooty on the whole 
of the upper-surface rather than tawny or orange. The colour of the legs 
is creamy and not yellow.” 
Miss Cheney records from Wangaratta District, Victoria {Emu, Vol. XIV., 
p. 204, 1915) : “ This Owl has a variety of calls ; the commonest of 
‘ Yo yo ’ puzzled many people for a time. It seems like the caU of a sheep- 
drover urging on his dogs.” 
The succeeding notes I extract from the Austr. Mus. Spec. Cat., No. 1, 
Vol. III., where North indicates variation as follows : “ Some specimens are 
of a deeper orange buff on the upper-parts, which extends, but to a far less 
degree, to the under-parts, and more particularly the chest and upper portion 
of the breast. Others have the apical portion of the white feathers of the 
under-surface finely flecked, spotted or streaked with blackish-brown, while 
some have the feathers of the chest and breast pure silky white, and 
entirely devoid of markings.” 
As North was not interested in geographical variation, he does not tell 
us whether the variation noted was independent or dependent upon locality. 
Mr. Geo. Savidge’s notes read : “ The Delicate Owl is fairly plentifully 
dispersed on the flats and maize fields of the Clarence River, and its screech 
may often be heard at night time. It passes the day in a hollow tree or some 
thick shady bush ; one roosted off and on for several months in a mulberry- 
tree near my house at Copmanhurst. The only nesting-place I have found was 
during September, and was situated in a dead Grey Gum. The birds gained 
access to the inside of the tree through a small crack, where one could hardly 
get a hand through. The nesting-places contained two young ones, which 
were resting on a mass of ejected pellets, dead birds, etc., one examined being 
a half-devoured Quail. A strong and disagreeable odour was emitted by 
the nesting-place, and the blowflies must have been a torment to the young 
ones. The latter were very wild, and showed fight at once. These birds 
prey upon mice about my buildings in the winter months, and their screech 
VOL. V. 
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