MASKED OWL. 
which agree with North’s suggestion, were quite independently produced 
from the study of the material available to Rothschild and Hartert. I must 
here thank Lord Rothschild for generously placing at my disposal the whole 
of his material for the purposes of this anti-criticism. 
I now admit many subspecies, and propose to deal with them in a 
different order to what I usually do and commence with 
Tyto novceJiollandicB castanops Gould. 
Tasmania. 
This is the largest subspecies and is generally brownish below. I have 
fully described and figured it in this place. It is, however, now known 
that the male sometimes (? always) loses the brownish under-surface, but 
the subspecies is well characterized by its size and general coloration. It 
is confined to Tasmania, and is especially remarkable as retaining the 
immature plumage as the fixed adult stage always in the female and sometimes 
in the male, while it has increased in size. I have quoted Mr. Malcolm 
Harrison’s remarks that the white plumage seemed to be more southern 
than the brown ; it is possible that the southern form is developing into a 
new race, but I have no evidence. No one has questioned the validity of this 
race, but many have quoted it from the mainland, where it does not occur. 
Tyto novmhollandioe, riordani Mathews. 
Victoria. 
Rothschild and Hartert dismiss this, as they could not understand it: 
they mention T. n. novcEhollandice, castanops and perplexa in connection 
with it, but do not seem to have formed any definite conclusion save that it 
must be suppressed. As a matter of fact, it must be maintained to indicate 
that Victoria is inhabited by a form of Owl which is different from those of 
other regions. I have also fully described and figured this subspecies as 
Tyto novmliollandice. It is separable from the preceding by being lighter above 
and paler below. The immature is a little darker above and buff below, as 
in castanops. Hence immatures and females have been recorded from 
Victoria under the name castanops. I have given D’Ombrain’s notes bn the 
bird he considered to be castanops, and have cited here as a synonym my own 
Tyto longimemhris dombraini, given to D’Ombrain’s specimen. When I 
received this bird it looked to me, as to D’Ombrain, so different that I could 
not determine it as a form, of this species, but referred it to the Grass Owl. 
The upper coloration resembles somewhat that of castanops, with the under- 
surface pure white. I here fully describe it. 
Adult male. General colour of the upper-surface blackish-brown, 
becoming paler on the scapulars, innermost secondaries and the outer aspect 
of the primary- and secondary-quills, the feathers everywhere speckled with 
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