TAWNY FROGMOUTH. 
the northern birds somewhat closely approaching the southern specimens, but 
I have never seen a light southern specimen comparable with the normal 
Northern bird. 
There appears to be no difference, that can be determined, between adult 
male, female and immature. Hence, as young birds of the year are shorter in 
the wing, the species seems to show a large amount of variation in this respect. 
As a matter of fact, were it possible to determine adults exactly I believe 
little variation would be observed. Thus in one series I note 10 millimetres 
covers the variation and in another 7 millimetres in the same number of birds. 
Therefore, when a difference of 40 millimetres is recorded the conclusion seems 
to be that the shortwinged specimens are immature. As, however, there seems 
to be a practice among American and European ornithologists of measuring 
every bird and averaging these, a method, which does not seem scientific to me, 
I have tested these series by both methods, and the results are unchanged. The 
differences in the various subspecies are not very large, but these are constant 
and, moreover, three groups with a great difference in size can be recognised : 
thus strigoides typical may average over 280 mm. in the wing, Tasmanian birds 
never quite reaching that figure, but these may be included ; from the Mallee of 
Victoria to South-west Australia a form averaging about 250 mm. occurs, and 
in the north a much less form, varying about 220, is the rule : hence Gould s 
three “ species,” strigoides, hrachypterus and phalcBnoides. 
The New South Wales birds, which are typical, are of large size (at 
the Richmond River very dark, which may constitute another subspecies), of 
brownish coloration, hence the name “ tawny,” but quite variable in tone : a 
beautiful rufescent phase here occurs in which the coloration is all rufous : the 
specimens examined have all been females, but all females are not rufescent, 
nor are the young of that colour, so that the red phase seems a pure aberration, 
but it is peculiar it should be confined to females. As a rule the females are 
inclined to be tawny birds, but this is not a constant feature. In measurements 
the males very slightly exceed the females, the averages reading mm. 278 in 
wing : $ mm. 272 in wing, the largest specimen being a male with wing 290 mm. 
These bear the name '\\ 
Podargus strigoides strigoides (Latham), 
and the range, as far as is yet known, is only New South Wales. 
It may be when the distribution of Australian birds is geographically 
accurately worked out that, as with many other birds, the northern Victorian 
specimens will be referable to the above form while the southern Victorian ones 
may differ. At the present time I class aU the Victorian birds as a slightly 
larger subspecies, as the average is slightly larger and a third of the birds 
VOL. vn. 
33 
