THE BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA. 
face of the Chestnut-faced Owl, as will be seen later. Of the breast and 
side feathers, those that have the black spots on them have also a black 
streak down the shaft, uniting with the spot. The third primary is the 
longest feather in the wing. 
“ These Owls, in conjunction with some other species of their kind, 
have a marked peculiarity : i.e., the outer barbs of the first true primary 
and of the first false primary -feathers have no barbules, and are turned the 
wrong way, like the feathers of a French ‘ frizzy ’ fowl. As I have watched 
Owls entering the holes in the trees, I remarked that they always fly to the 
hole, then settle on the edge of it, and at once turn round and go tail first 
into the interior of the hollow branch or hole of the tree. In performing 
this movement, it is very likely that the outer-barbs acquire the turned 
appearance from being rubbed the wrong way. This is, of course, only a 
theory, and I intend to ascertain if the young possess the peculiarity of 
turned feathers or not. The talons, toes and legs are very powerful, the toes 
having a covering of stiff bristles, and the lower legs soft silky ones. These 
Owls hunt in pairs, one keeping close to the ground, evidently beating, 
whilst the other flies overhead ready to swoop. They frequently follow one 
for quite a long distance, evidently on the look-out for any prey that one 
may start. These birds are best seen at fuU moon, but are very shy during 
the early quarter, seeming to gradually grow accustomed to the increasing 
light, when they are easily seen. The bird that flies close to the group keeps 
up a sort of hissing noise, and is answered by the higher flying bird in 
a chattering voice. When pairing is over, the birds do not frequent 
their usual hunting-grounds, but retire to the vicinity of their nesting-hole. 
Much of the above information of their habits has been gathered from the 
Messrs. Dancocks, who are very keen observers, and whose home is in 
the midst of the haunts of these birds. 
“ Chestnut-faced Owl {Strix novoehollandicE, subsp. castanops). This is 
supposed to be a doubtful species, but I feel pretty confident that the 
specimen of Owl which I have got in this district is a quite distinct bird 
from S. novcehollandice. In this specimen the facial disc is entirely different 
in colour from that of the Masked Owl, having no purple hue about the face, 
and the circumference of the disc is a pure chestnut ; also there is no ring 
of dark feathers on the disc at all. The under-surface of the whole bird is 
uniformly pure white — ^neither streaks nor spots on the feathers — and the 
general colouring of the whole of the upper-surface is much lighter, and has 
much more chestnut, in blotches, on it. Finally, the whole appearance is 
at a glance different from that of the Masked Owl, and on close inspection 
is markedly so. My specimen was shot in a tree along with a Delicate Owl. 
380 
