MASKED OWL. 
mottled with brown towards the tips. Total length 380 mm. ; culmen 25, 
wing 280, tail 115, tarsus 63. Collected on the Pascoe Eiver, North 
Queensland, on the 16th of July, 1913. 
A very similar bird has been described by Eothschild and Hartert thus : 
“ The other curious specimen is an adult male from Cape York, collected 
by Mr. A. S. Meek on August 4, 1898. The upper-surface is entirely black 
and white, without any yellowish or rufous colour, the under-side pure silky- 
white with only very few tiny blackish spots. Wing 286 mm. This is most 
likely a new race, but we do not venture to separate it on the evidence of 
one single bird.” 
It will now be seen that North-west Australia, Northern Territory and 
North Queensland birds are very closely related to each other and are very 
different from the southern races. The above nomination seems most 
suitable, as there are observed differences, and lumping does not produce 
accurate work. In the present case Eothschild and Hartert, the most 
pronounced advocates of subspecies splitting, attempted a reverse policy 
and have made more blunders than corrections. 
The last form is 
Tyto novoeliollandice melvillensis Mathews. 
Melville Island. 
This can be distinguished as a valid race, as the birds show a phase 
altogether missing from the whole of Northern Australia. The small size is 
noticeable, and even if this were not confirmed the dark coloration is peculiar. 
Eothschild and Hartert’s observations are in this case hopelessly inadequate 
and they do not seem convinced what should be done with this bird. I have 
fully described and figured this subspecies and now leave the matter for 
the student of the future. 
A 
397 
