STRIX PERSONATA, Vie.
Masked Barn Owl.

Strix personata, Vig. in Proc. of Com. of Sci.
Australia, Part III.

Strix Cyclops, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 140; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part III. 2

» and Corr. of Zool. Soc., Part I. p. 60.—Gould in Syn. Birds of

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Ir will be recollected that the habitat of the Strix castanops is Van Diemen’s Land, to which island it is
probably restricted ; on the other hand, the bird here figured, although nearly allied to the preceding, not
only differs in so many essential characters as to leave little doubt in my mind of its being specifically
distinct, but is confined to the continent of Australia, over which it enjoys a wide range. With the ex-
ception of the north coast, I have received specimens from every part of the country. During my visit to
the interior of South Australia, numerous individuals fell to my gun, which upon comparison presented
no material variation in their colour or markings from others killed in New South Wales and Swan River.

If I were puzzled with respect to the changes to which the S¢riv castanops is apparently subject, I am not
less so with those of the present bird; for although I find the tawny and buff colouring of the face and
under surface is generally lighter, I also find a diversity in the colouring of the different parts of the under
surface ; I have specimens in my cabinet with the face, all the under surface and the ground-colour of
the upper pure white, and prior to my visit to Australia I characterized specimens thus coloured as a
distinct species under the name of Striv Cyclops, but I have now some reason to believe them to be fully
adult males of the bird here figured. J may remark, that out of the numerous examples I killed in South
Australia in the month of June, I did not meet with one in the white plumage.

The Strix personata is almost a third smaller than the 8. castanops, and as the sexes of both species bear
a relative proportion in size, the male of the one is about equal to the female of the other. The white
spottings of the upper surface of the former are larger than those of the latter, and the surrounding
patches of dark brown and buff are not so deep, giving the whole of that part of the bird a more marbled
or speckled appearance. .

Pale buff; the upper part of the head, the back and the wings variegated with dark brown, and
sparingly dotted with white; under surface paler with a few brown spots ; tail buff, ee Om as n
fascia ; facial disc purplish buff, margined with deep brown spots ; bill pale horn-colour ; toes yellow.

The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size.

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