iEGOTHELES LEUCOGASTER, Gould.
White-bellied Owlet-Nig*htjar.
JEgotheles leucogaster, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., June 25, 1844.
T h i s is altogether a larger and more powerful bird than the JEgotheles Novas-Hollandias; besides which, the
white colouring of the lower part of the belly will at all times serve to distinguish it from that species.
It is rather abundant on the Cobourg Peninsula, where it inhabits the forests in the immediate vicinity
o f Port Essington; how far its range may extend is at present unknown, hut it is probable that the bird
is distributed over the whole of the northern portion of the continent, and that it there forms the representative
of the JE. Novas-Hollandice, which up to the present time has only been found on the southern.
Mr. Gilbert states that it is abundant in most parts o f the settlement at Port Essington, “ where it is
frequently seen flying about at twilight, and occasionally during the day. On the appro'ach o f an intruder it
flies very heavily from tree to tree, and on alighting invariably turns round on the branch to watch his
approach, moving the head all the time after the manner o f the Hawk tribe.”
The sexes when fully adult will not I expect be found to differ in plumage. I attribute the redness of
some of my specimens to the age o f the individuals; but whether the red varieties or the grey are the most
mature birds, I have not had sufficient opportunities o f ascertaining.
It feeds on insects o f all kinds, and as the bird is strictly nocturnal in its habits, they are, as a matter of
course, procured at night.
Head black; the crown, a lunar-shaped mark at the back o f the head, and a collar surrounding the back of
the neck freckled with g rey; back freckled black and white; wings brown, crossed by numerous bands
of lighter brown freckled with dark brown ; primaries margined externally with buff, interrupted with
blotchings o f dark brown; tail dark brown, crossed by numerous broad irregular bands o f reddish buff
freckled with dark brown; ear-coverts straw-white; chin, abdomen and under tail-coverts white; breast
and sides o f the neck white, crossed by numerous freckled bars o f black; irides dark brown; upper
mandible dark olive-brown, lower mandible white with a black tip ; legs very pale yellow; claws black.
The figures are of the natural size.