^°i' o6 ' 1 From Magazines, &c. 20 



believed " (runs the report) " that all these changings of long- 

 established names, even when the alteration was justifiable, should 

 be most rigorously guarded against, as the greatest confusion 

 would be the only result. He would consequently under no 

 circumstances concur in the transposing of Tiirdus niusicus and 

 iliacus, recently declared to be necessary. In this case, moreover, 

 it was evident that Linnaeus in the I2th edition, 1766, of his 

 " Systema Naturae," desired to correct an error contained in the 

 edition of 1758, and that the description of Ttirdus miisicus 

 given by him on that occasion could in every respect only 

 apply to our Song-Thrush. Even though it had been agreed to 

 recognise only the 1758 edition of Linnaeus, it must appear 

 contrary to common-sense to take as a basis of nomenclature a 

 description which the author himself openly acknowledged to 



be incorrect." 



* * * 



Square-tailed Kite in Captivity. — Lophoictinia isura 

 does not strike one, at the first glance, as a likely-looking cage- 

 bird, but Mr. J. L. Bonhote tells in the Avicultural Magazine 

 for April how he has succeeded in keeping one since June, 1903. 

 Says the writer : — " I may as well sum him up once for all as 

 the tamest and most sluggish of the Raptores that I have ever 

 met, and I suspect that much of his tameness is due to the fact 

 that it is too much trouble to move. ... It was presumably 

 born in November, 1902. The general colour of its plumage 

 was rufous, each feather being broadly marked or streaked, 

 especially on the upper parts, with dark brown. The new 

 plumage (after moulting in October) was similar to the last, but 

 darker on the back, lighter on the head, and redder on the under 

 parts, while after the next moult, which was accomplished 

 between May and July last year, it assumed the fully adult 

 plumage, as figured in Gould's ' Birds of Australia,' , . . 

 The peculiar build which has gained for it a generic title is 

 probably correlated with a mode of life different from that of 

 the true Kites, but on this point information is lacking, and I 

 can only hope that, having pointed out this deficiency, some of 

 our Australian friends may send us a future communication 

 dealing with its habits and food in a wild state." 



Experimenting with Disease. — A letter from the hon. sec. 

 of the A.O.U. (Mr. A. H. E. Mattingley), which appeared in The 

 Argus of iith April, under the above heading, has called forth 

 considerable discussion on the subject of Dr. Danysz's proposed 

 endeavour to exterminate the rabbit from Australia by in- 

 oculating it with a bacillus. Dr. Danysz has been engaged for a 

 term of two years, and will shortly reach Australia. No doubt the 



