MASKED OWL. 
My first attempt was made in the Nov. Zool, Vol. XVIII., 1912 (Jan.), 
p. 257, when I prepared my “Deference List.” I there admitted four 
subspecies as follows : 
“ Tyto novceJiollandicE novceJiollandicB (Stephens) 
Queensland, New South Wales, 
Victoria and South Australia. 
“ Tyto novcehollandim castanops (Gould) . . Tasmania. 
“ Tyto novcBJiollandim perplexa Mathews . . West Australia. 
“ Differs from T. n. novcehollandice in its larger size and darker coloration : 
East Beverley, West Australia. 
“ Tyto novcehollandice kimherli Mathews . . North-west Australia. 
“ Differs from T. n. novcehollandice in its much paler coloration and 
smaller size : East Kimberley, West Australia.” 
The receipt of more material, which showed the castanops phase from 
Melville Island, indicated a further revision, and in the Austral Avian Record, 
Vol. I., pp. 34-35, Apl. 1912, I recorded : 
“ Tyto novcehollandice macJcayi, subsp. n. Queensland. 
White-faced Owl. 
“ Differs from T. n. novcehollandice in having the facial disc white, with 
the feathers round the eye chocolate at the base ; it is lighter above and 
lacks the bufi on the lower surface. Wing 315 mm. Type, Mackay, Queens- 
land, No. 6400. Range, Queensland. 
“ Are there not two different species of Owls confused under T. novce- 
hollandice ? If so, those with the white facial disc must stand as T. cyclops 
(Gould), and those with the chestnut face as T. novcehollandice (Stephens). 
“ Tyto novcehollandice whitei, subsp. n. South White-faced Owl. 
“ Differs from T. n. macTcayi in its darker upper-surface and smaller 
size : wing 301 mm. Type, Adelaide, South Australia, No. 913. Range, 
South Australia. 
“ Tyto novcehollandice riordani, subsp. n. Victorian White-faced O'^l. 
“ Differs from all other subspecies of T. novcehollandice in its darker 
upper-surface and larger-sized wing, 343 mm. Type, Victoria (Warnambool), 
No. 11104. Range, Victoria. 
“ Tyto novcBhollandice melvillensis, subsp. n. Melville Island. 
Chestnut-faced Owl. 
“ Differs from T. n. perplexa in its smaller size and darker buff below 
“ Type, Melville Island, Northern Territory, No. 10795. 
“ Range, MelviUe Island.” 
This was put forward for criticism, as only by that means can we 
arrive at the truth in complex cases, and it got it, but in a quite unexpected 
VOL. V. 
385 
