1^8 Campbell, Birds from GoiMian-Gilheri Type-locality, [j.f"]^,,. 



The mature birds were in perfect plumage — blackisli-slate and 

 white. The young are variously marked on the head — one is 

 dark, another whitish, and another brownish. According to 

 M'Lennan,* some full-fledged young are pure white on the head, 

 as shown in Sharpe's plate of N. aritensis {" Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.," 

 xxvi., IB), which is apparently an immature bird of the above 

 species. Mathews recognizes another " Gulf " sub-species — 

 normani, "smaller and darker" (.-4. A. R., ii., p. 126). Does he 

 infer that every rookery has a different sub-species ? Birds from 

 South Alligator River are similar to the Roper ones, as is also an 

 immature specimen collected on the Archer, on the opposite shore 

 of the Gulf, similar to the Roper immatures. If one is partly 

 making sub-species on colour variation, one needs to be very 

 accurate, and, without being hypercritical, it may be pointed out 

 that while Mathews's plate (" Birds of Australia," iii., No. 190) 

 shows- the true colour — blackish-SL ate — his text states slaty-BLACK : 

 two different colours, or hues, according to chromatology. 



Gould's splendid coloured plate (No. 62, " Birds of Australia," 

 vi.) depicts a pair of these little Pied Egrets beautifully posed. 



Garzetta immaculata, Gould. Lesser Egret. 

 Egretta garzetta immaculata. 



Two S3- Average dimensions in mm. : — Length 606, wing 268, 

 culmen 88, tarsus 106. Legs black ; bill black, with yellow base. 

 From the Roper rookery, and apparently typical. 



Mathews, because of its " smaller size," differentiates the North 

 Queensland bird as kempi. Many of Mr. Mathews's distinctions 

 are exceedingly subtile, and sorely puzzle students. Do some of 

 his sub-specific names merely indicate certain localities ? If so, 

 it might be more instructive, for instance, to state them thus : — 

 " G. immaculata (North-West), G. immaculata (Territory), G. 

 immaculata (North Queensland)," as the case may be. Lesser 

 Egrets from all these localities are apparently alike. 



Butorides stagnatilis, Gould. Little Mangrove-Bittern. 

 Bntorides striata stagnatilis. 



One (J, I not sexed, i immature. Mathews has adopted the 

 dominant specific name, striata, of the South American bird, because 

 of its general resemblance in structure and coloration to the Aus- 

 tralian one. This may be understood ; but we cannot follow him 

 in a further subdivision of this Australian form. There is 

 apparently no difference in type-locality specimens and a skin 

 from Cape York which Mathews calls littleri. 



Tadorna rufltergum, Hartert. White-headed Shieldrake. 



Radjah radjah nifitergnm. 



Two S^. As Gould gives, in his " Handbook " (ii., p. 360), the 

 white residents' and the aborigines' names of Port Essington, for 

 this fine species, he no doubt took his figure (" Birds of Australia," 

 vii., pi. 8) from examples collected by Gilbert, and adopted the 



* Vide Emu, xvi., p. ii;6. 



