NINOX DIMORPHA. 
Salvadori’s Hawk-Owl. 
Athene dimorpha, Salvad. Arm. Mus. Civic. Genov, vi. p, 308 (1874). 
Ninox dimorpha, Sharpe, Ibis, 1875, p. 258. — Id. Cat. Birds in Brit. Mus. ii. p. 175 (1875). — Salvad. Ann. Mus. 
Civic. Genov, x. p. 118 (1877), xii. p. 40 (1878). — Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. M^ales, hi. p. 248 
(1879). — Salvad. Ibis, 1879, p. 319. — Id. Orn. Papuasia e delle Molucche, i. p. 83 (1880). 
Athene, sp., Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, i. p. 388 (1876), ii. p. 19 (1877). 
When we wrote the second volume of the ‘ Catalogue of Birds ’ this species was unknown to us, and we 
were indebted to the kindness of Count Salvadori for a sketch of the type specimen, from which we gathered 
that it might belong to the genus Glaucidium, or that it might even be the type of a new genus. The genus 
Glaucidium, however, is unknown in the Australian region, and the discovery of a species in Papuasia would 
have been somewhat surprising ; but an examination of a specimen of Ninox dimorpha proves that all these 
speculations were wrong, and that the bird is a true Ninox, as might have been expected from the locality. 
Its position in the last-named genus is very easily defined, for it can be recognized at once by its streaked 
breast, spotted hind neck, and banded wing-coverts, the latter resembling the back. It was originally 
discovered near Sorong, in North-western New Guinea, by Signor D’Albertis, and Mr. Ramsay has received 
an adult and a nestling bird from the vicinity of Port Moresby; of tbe identity of tbe latter specimen there 
may be some doubt, but that the species occurs also in South-eastern New Guinea is unquestionable, as 
Mr. H, O. Forbes bas sent a s])ecimeu from the Sogeri district of the Astrolabe Mountains, of which we 
give a detailed description : — 
Adult. General colour above dark brown, regularly banded across with light rufous, whiter on the 
scapulars, which have also large white patches externally; ning-coverts like tbe back, the rufous bars 
obscure on the lesser coverts, but especially distinct on the greater series, which resemble the quills ; 
bastard-wing and primary-coverts blackish, with a few obscure rufescent bands ; quills blackish, banded 
with rufous externally, the bands more ashy on the inner webs and at the ends of the feathers ; upper tail- 
coverts like the back; tail-featbers blackisli, barred with ashy rufous, the bands twelve in number on the 
centre feathers, as well as the outer ones, on which, however, they are not strictly conterminous on both 
webs ; crown of head blackish brown, streaked with tawny rufous, with which colour the feathers are edged, 
the nape and hind neck being pale tawny rufous with large blackish-brown mesial spots ; lores white, with 
some hair-like black plumes; eyebrows and base of forehead white, streaked with black; ear-coverts ashy 
grey, streaked with black ; cheeks, feathers below the eye, and chin white with narrow black shaft-lines, tbe 
hinder cheeks tinged with tawny buff and more broadly streaked with blackish ; sides of neck like the hind 
neck ; throat, chest, and under surface of body pale tawny buff, streaked with black ; tl.e lower breast and 
abdomen rather whiter and more boldly streaked, sides of body and flanks huffy white ; thighs and under 
tail-coverts white, the latter streaked with black ; under wing-coverts and axillaries pale tawny buff, streaked 
with black; quills below blackish brown, profusely banded with ashy brown or fulvous: “bill lead-colour; 
toes yellow; iris yellow” {U Albertis). Total length 11-5 inches, culmen TO, wing 8-1, tail 5-5, 
tarsus T3. 
The figure in the Plate represents an adult bird, and is drawn from the specimen obtained by Mr. Forbes 
and described above. 
[H. B. S.] 
