j j . .
NINOX DIMORPHA.
Salvadori’s Hawk-Owl.
Athene dimorpha, Salvad. Ann. 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. Wales, in. 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).
W h e n we wrote the second volume o f the ■ Catalogue o f Birds' this species was unknown to us, and we
were indebted to the kindness o f Count Salvador! 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 o f a new genus. The genus
GlaucMum, however, is unknown in the Australian region, and the: dMovery of a species in Papuasia wpulfl
have been somewhat surprising ; hut an examination o f a specimen o f N im x dimorpha proves that all these
speculations were wrong, and that the bird is a true Ninon, as might have been expected from the locality.
Its position in the last-named genus is very easily defined, for it can be recognised 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 o f 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 o f 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 rufesceot hands ; 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 hands twelve in number on the
centre feathers, as well as theopter ones, on which, however, they are not strictly piterm inou s on both
webs ; crown o f 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 o f 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 huff and more broadly streaked with blackish ; sides of neck like the hind
neck ; throat, chest, and under surface o f body pale tawny buff, streaked with black ; the lower breast and
abdomen rather whiter and more boldly streaked, sides o f body and flanks bnffy white ; thighs and under
tail-coverts white, the latter streaked with black ; under wing-coverts and axillafiës pale tawny buff, streaked
with black ; quills below blackish brown, profusely banded with ashy brown or fulvous : “ bill lead-colour ;
toes yellow; iris yellow” ( .» ’Albertis'). Total length 11-5 inches, culmen 1-0, wing 8-1, tail 5-5,
tarsus 1‘3. •
The figure in the Plate represents an adult bird, and, in drawn from the specimen obtained by Mr. Forbes
and described above.
[R. I S.]