BY ROBERT HALL. 473 



exceptional variation in the character mentioned which a bird 

 may present, but to which he would still apply the name P. 

 assimilis. 



As already mentioned P. assimilis, a subspecies of P. ornatus, 

 Temm., has previously been described as having portions of the 

 third and fourth primaries partly edged with white on the inner 

 webs, the third for nearly two-thirds its length, while the fourth 

 is marked at its base, and that " variably." Hitherto no mention 

 has been made of the case in which the third primary alone in 

 all ages is edged with clear white for two-thirds of its length on 

 the inner web. Such a phase has come before me in specimens 

 collected in Victoria, denoting youth, immaturity and adult 

 stages, and this I believe is the only record of the occurrence of 

 the subspecies in Victoria. Briefly T may say that the third and 

 fourth primaries strongly contrast in the blacks and whites in the 

 young and mature birds, and that the alar speculum of the young 

 V)ird appears to be as crimson as in the adult. Previously to 

 having gained some knowledge of a series of skins in the Austra- 

 lian Museum, by favour of Messrs. North and Fletcher, I con- 

 sidered this phase a constant form and one which might be 

 regarded as a new species or subspecies. 



Following is a table of the distribution of the bird in Victoria 

 as at present known to me : — 



a. County Heytesbury, Vic. Adult female; 15-9-97. 

 h. County Mornington, Vic. Adult male; 15-7-96. 



c. County Evelyn, Vic. Adult male; 4-11-93. 



d. County Mornington, Vic. Adult female; 25-12-95. 



e. County Boui'ke. Juv. male; 15-1-97. 



Skins of the adults, almost matured, and young birds may be 

 described as under, the female (a) showing the fullest develop- 

 ment. 



(a.) Adult female. — Dorsal colour is grey on the back, olive- 

 grey on the rump and upper tail coverts, which are slightly 

 fulvous on the terminals; scapulars in the upper parts are like 

 the back, while in the lower they agree with the rump colour; 

 greater and primary coverts black, the primary coverts being 



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