78 



ORIOLID.E. 



tlie outer tail-feather 0-7 inches, and ha\ing only a slight indication of the narrow white tip to 

 the outer web. Adult males from Cape York and Port Darwin have a white spot only at the 

 tip of the inner web of the tail-feathers, and their wing measurement is yj inches, and the 

 wing and tail is not so strongly washed with grey as examples from Eastern Australia. A fully 

 adult male, collected at Derby, North-western Australia, by Mr. E. J. Cairn in 1886, has the 

 wings and tail brown, without any greyish wash on the feathers, and there is only a slight 

 indication of the whitish edges to the tips of the quills. It measures in total len.th g inches, 

 wing 5-7, tail 4, bill i-j; extent of white spot on inner web of outer tail-feather, and which does 

 not reach to the shaft, 0-42 inches. A typical specimen of an adult male of O. sngifiniiis, shot 

 near Sydney, measures in total length 11 inches, wing 6, tail 4-5, bill i ; extent of white terminal 

 marking to inner web of outer tail-feathers, which reaches to the sliatt and around the tip of 

 the outer web, o'g inches. 



Now, comparing examples obtained in New South Wales with those from North-western 

 Australia and Port Essington, or even Cape York, one would naturally conclude that Gould 

 was correct in regarding them as two distinct although closely allied species, O. sagittatus 

 inhabiting the south-eastern portions of the continent, and O. affinis being its smaller northern 

 and north-western representative. In the intergradation, howe\er, that takes place between 

 these two races, it is apparent that examples from the neighbourhood of Cairns and Cooktown 

 must be regarded as belonging to an intermediate form, but to characterise the birds from this 

 part of the continent even as a subspecies would be absurd. Similar instances of the gradual 



Tail of Oi'ioliis sagittatus. 



Tail of Orioliis aMnis. 



decrease in size of a species, and increase in the length of its hill, is afford(-d by CoUyriocincla 

 rufigasicY, found in New South Wales and Queensland, and its diminutixe and cl.)se northern 

 ally C. parvissiiiia\ also by Philemon citreogularis, and its northern and north-western representa- 

 ti\'e P. sordidiis. 



In the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," Dr. Sharpe does not regard either 

 Orioliis affinis or CoUyriocincla parvissima as distinct species, although the learned author ranks 

 several of our .Australian birds as good species on less slender grounds. Authorities are 

 divided in opinion as to what is a sufficient character to constitute a species, or subspecies, 

 and have been classed as either "lumpers" or "splitters." Personally, I favour the former, for 

 in a large island-continent like .\ustralia, where geographical distribution and climatic influence 

 are such important factors in the character of a species, it would render the study of birds 

 impossible if each tinge or shade in colour of plumage from different latitudes were accorded 

 subspecific distinction. During a period of twelve years, I have characterised three very 

 distinct subspecies, but were I to separate from different localities each race that varies from the 

 average type in size and depth of colour, the described Australian forms would be considerably 

 more than twice the number they are at present. To do so, however, Ornithologists without 

 the aid of a specimen being properly localised, and of a large reference collection only to be 

 found in a Museum, and possibly a few private collections, would be hopelessly involved 

 in trying to distinguish the various climatic forms of a species. Taking Orioliis sagittatus as an 



