igO Royal Aiis/ra/(isi(i)i Orniilioloi^ists' Union. [.st^'jau. 



NOTI-: OX THE GRASS-WREX (Amytorms icxlilis). 

 By H. L. White, M.B.O.U., R.A.O.U. 



Recently 1 had an opportunity of cursorily examining, with 

 Mr. A. J. Campbell, the series (ii skins) of this species in the 

 " H. L. White Collection," National Museum, Melbourne. 



Two pairs (cj and 5) from Shark Bay, W.A., and collected by 

 Mr. E. L. Whitlock, appear to agree with three skins from the East 

 Murchison district (also collected by Mr. Whitlock) and with tlic 

 description of ^lilligan's gigantnra {Vic. Nat., xviii., p. zS), except 

 that the Shark Bay birds may be a little Ughter underneath, 

 M'hilc the tail of one specimen is no mm. — fully I of an inch 

 longer than that given, as its chief feature, for gigantnra. Eurther 

 cast a pair collected by Mr. C. G. Gibson in the region of Kalgoorlic 

 answers Gould's plate of macyura (No. 30, iii., " Birds of Australia ") 

 — a darker variety of the true textilis, while the darkest birds arc 

 a pair taken by Capt. S. A. White still further eastward — at the 

 Everard Mountains, which birds are apparently Mathews's piirndli 

 from Central AustraUa (see A. A. R., vol. ii., p. 99). 



The interesting question arises, ^^^hat bird is figured by Gould 

 in his plate (No. 29) as textilis, of which he stated " I killed and 

 dissected many examples"? Except for the absence of the 

 dark cheek stripe the picture is suggestive of the eastern form 

 of A. striata. However, it is not the typical textilis, which has 

 been well represented above the name Diaphorillas carteri by 

 G. M. Mathews in the Austral Avian Record, vol. iii., pi. 5, with 

 full letterpress description on page 87. The original was collected 

 by Mr'. Tom Carter on Dirk Hartog Island, 1916. 



It should be mentioned that, as recorded in The Ibis (1917), 

 p. 605, Mr. Carter also obtained a single specimen (o) of textilis 

 on the Peron Peninsula (mainland), near the locaUty where Whit- 

 lock secured his two pairs. 



Thus, after a lapse of a century, Ouoy and Gaimard's species 

 —-" Mai urns textilis" — has seemingly been confirmed. 



A NEW SPECIES OE PTILOTIS IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 



By Edwin Ashby, F.L.S., M.B.O.U., Wittunga, Blackwooh, 



S.A. 

 Ptilotis geraldtonensis, n. .sp. Geraldton White-plumed Honey- 

 eater. 

 General Appearance. — A yellow form of P. pcnicillata (Gld.), with 

 clearly-defined streaks on throat and breast ; face lemon chrome 

 (yellow) (plate iv., Ridgway's ''Colour Standards"); eyehds 

 edged with black : ear-plume black tipped with white ; forehead 

 and crown washed with bright yellow, streaked ; neck, back, and 

 wings similar in tone to specimens of P. penicillala from northern 

 parts of South Austraha, but outer webbing of wings brighter ; 

 tail — outer web primahne yellow, inner web of centre feathers 



