STRIX PERSONATA, n g .
Masked Bam Owl.
Strix personata, Vig. in Proc. of Com. of Sci., and Corr. of Zool. Soc., Part I. p. 60.'—Gould in Syn. Birds of
Australia, Part III.
Strix Cyclops, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 140 ; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part III. ?
It will be recollected that the habitat of the Stria? castanops is Van Diemen’s Land, to which island it is
probably restric ted ; 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 o f its being specifically
distinct, but is confined to the continent o f Australia, over which it enjoys a wide range. With the exception
o f the north coast, I have received specimens from every p a rt o f 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 trix castanops is apparently subject, I am not
less so with those o f the present b ird ; 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 o f the different parts o f the under
su rface; 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 S trix Cyclops, but I have now some reason to believe them to be fully
adult males o f the bird here figured. I may remark, that out of the numerous examples I killed in South
Australia in the month o f June, I did not meet with one in the white plumage.
The S trix personata is almost a third smaller than the S . castanops, and as the sexes o f 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 o f the upper surface of the former are larger than those o f the latter, and the surrounding
patches of dark brown and buff are not so deep, giving the whole of th at p a rt o f the bird a more marbled
or speckled appearance.
Pale buff; the upper p art o f the head, the back and the wings variegated with dark brown, and
sparingly dotted with wh ite; under surface paler with a few brown sp o ts ; tail buff, undulated with brown
fascia ; facial disc purplish buff, margined with deep brown spots ; bill pale horn-colour ; toes yellow.