G26 Recently published Ornithological ^yurl<s. [Ibis, 



Mikalo Pheasant taken on Mt. Arisan at an elevation of 

 8000 feet above sea-level. 



Mathews on Australian Birds. 



[The Birds of Australia. By Greg'ory M. Mathews. Vol. vi. pt. 4, 

 pp. 297-37.3, pis. 300-307. London (Witlierby), June 1917. 4to.] 



This part is devoted to two genera of purely Australian 

 Parrakeets — in fact we had nearly said to one, for the 

 author only sejja rates the two members of Barnardius from 

 Platycercus after consideration. Still, he thinks that the 

 former may stand as a " colour genus/^ 



All species of Platycercus vary extraordinarily in plumage 

 according to age, and also according to the district which 

 they inhabit : for instance, P. flaveolus has been confounded 

 with one of the forms of P. elegans, though typical specimens 

 are so distinct. But Mr. Mathews considers that he can 

 determine with sufficient certainty the following subspecies, 

 apart from the normal form : — of P. elegans, nigrescens, 

 melanoptems, victorice, adelaidce, and subadelaida ; of P. 

 flaveolus, innominatus ; of P. caledonicus, henriett(S, and a 

 new subspecies yZiWem from Flinders Island ; of P. icterotis, 

 xanthogenys ; of P. adscitus, palliceps, amathusice, and 

 elseyi ; of P. venustus, melvillensis and hilli ; finally, of 

 the well-known Rosella, P. eximius, diemenensis and cecilce, 

 and a new subspecies colei from the Ballarat district. 

 Similarly Barnardius barnardi is credited with macgillivrayi 

 and ivhitei. 



Aprosmictus insignissimus of Gould (p. 247), Platycercus 

 elegans nobbsi of Tristram (p. 316), P. mastersianus of 

 Ramsay (p. 34-4), P. ignitus of Gould and P. erythropeplus 

 of Salvadori (p. 362) are rejected as hybrids or sports, 

 while P. 2^aradiseus (p. 316) is attributed to a slip of 

 the pen. 



Where colour points to an ancestral form, the possible 

 ancestor is brought into consideration, and the evolution of 

 the later forms discussed. 



The ranges of the various species, as above delimited, are 



