( 220 ) 



(? jnv., Eureka, !i. i. 1903 (No. lu-.V^). TIip feathers of tlu' uppcrside have 

 white triiiiigiilur tips, tliose of the chest round dark brown i)atches at the ti]). 



6 ?, Soiitli xMh'gator River and 20 niik's oif Soutli Alligator River, :Vi. iii. and 

 30. iv. lOiKj (Nos. 1280, 1281). 



134. Melanodryas bicolor picata Gould. 



Mehnindri/os /licdlii Gould, llaiiilh. B. Auntrnliti i. p. 285 (N.W. Australia). 



Mr. A. J. North, in his recent work " Nests and Eggs of Birds " of Australia, 

 Part III. p. 171, comes to the coucinsiou that .1/. Iiicolor and picata should not 

 be separated. This conclusion is erroneons. If wo eoiujiare a series of north- 

 western examples with a series of south-eastern specimens we iind : 1. That the 

 former are smaller, wings averaging 5 to 8 mm. shorter. 2. That generally 

 the former liave more white in the tail. I have not one si)ecimen in which the 

 black on the iimer web of the outermost rectrix reaches as far as the base of 

 the tail, while I have seen a number of M. bicolor bicolor that have this peculiarity. 

 The amount of white in the tail varies considerably, but it is obvious that, as a 

 rule, there is more in picata. 3. That the white on the underside is purer, more 

 snowy. 4. That ihe females are a little lighter on the njiperside. Intermediate 

 examples occur in South-western Australia, and probably elsewhere, where the 

 areas of the two forms meet, but specimens from the centres of distribution are 

 easily distinguishable, and therefore we must sejiarate the two forms as subspecies, 

 triuomially. There is no other scientific proceeding. If we distinguish the various 

 forms now existing in nature, we must distinguish all : it is purely arbitrary, and 

 therefore not scientific, if we separate those which ajjpear to us easily separable 

 and " lump " those that are distinguished by " slight " differences only ; or if we brush 

 away the fact that two forms are difi'ereiit, because we find in the intermediate 

 areas certain intermediate individuals. 



Mr. Tunney sent the following specimens of M. h. picata : — 



1 S without label from Alligator River. 



1 $ ad. 1 ? juv., Nullagitie Road, 3U. iv. 19ol (Nos. R. llii, 111). 



1 i ad., Soda Sjirings, Kimberley, 24. iv. ]iMi2 (No. 11. 410). 



1 ? ad., 12 miles from Victoria Station, Northern Territory, 4. vii. 1902 

 (No. E. 600). 



1 c?, 1 ? jnv.. Eureka, Northern Territory, 24. i., 7. ii. 1903 (Nos. 99(i, 1114). 



S cJJ, 1 ?, South Alligator River, Jiarch, April, May 1903 (Nos. 1241 to 124(1). 

 " Iris, bill and feet black." 



13.3. Smicrornis flavescens (iould. 



Smicrnnusflarescfns Gould, P.Z.8. 1842. p. i;j4 (Port Essington). 



?, Crawford's Springs, Northern Territory, 4. vii. I'."i2 (No. R. ;jSG). "Iris 

 white, bill and feet brown." 



rf?. Eureka. 9, 13. i. ]9o3 (Nos. 10II2, 1003). "Mostly found in hilly 

 country." 



130. Gerygone culicivorus (Gould). 



Pnliipiix culifiroriix Gould, P./C.S. 184U. p. 17G {" Western Australia '')• 



? ad., Derby, 2. iii. 1901 (No. 1611). "Shot in mangroves." 



?, Derby, 8. i. 1902 (No. B. 371). "Caught in mangroves near seashore." 



Mr. Hall sent us two specimens from the Fitzmy I{iver, Derby. 



