NINOX DIMORPHA.

Salvadori’s Hawk-Owl.

Athene dimorpha, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civie. 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. Wales, iii. 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).

 

Wuen 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 Minow 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 the identity of the 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 has sent a specimen 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 ; wing-coverts like the 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-feathers blackish, 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, the
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 ; the lower breast and
abdomen rather whiter and more boldly streaked, sides of body and flanks buffy 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 fulyous: “ bill lead-colour ;
toes yellow; iris yellow ” (D’ Albertis). Total length 11°5 inches, culmen 1-0, mnie fell, tevll G)%),
tarsus 1°3.

The figure in the Plate represents an adult bird, and is drawn from the specimen obtained by Mr. Forbes
and described above.

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