Ijg Fletcher, Nesting of the Black Cormorant. [ist 'oct. 



In January last the rookery was again looked at. but had not 

 been used. Thinking matters over, 1 came to the conclusion that 

 the Cormorants must have been influenced either by the drought 

 prevailing or disturbed by our visits, and probably retreated to the 

 more distant rookery. Some of the pairs nested somewhere, for 

 young birds were seen with the older birds in May. Weather con- 

 ditions are more favourable this year, and I hope to be able to 

 publish in a future issue of The Emu details and illustrations of 

 their nests, eggs, and young. 



The Admission of Colour^Genera. 



By Gregory M. Mathews, F.R.S.E., R.A.O.U., &c. 

 On the loth February, 1915, a discussion was held at the meeting 

 of the British Ornithologists' Club under the title, " Coloration 

 as a Factor in Family and Generic Differentiation." The meeting 

 was memorable, as by means of it we have now on record the views 

 of leading British ornithologists with regard to a matter much 

 and unreasonably neglected. I allude to the differentiation of 

 species of birds into groups which will show their natural affinities. 

 The members of this Union will have little opportunity of studying 

 the B.O.C. Bulletin, and only a few will see The Ibis, where, in 

 the April number, a detailed account of Dr. Lowe's remarks 

 appears. I have, therefore, thought that it would be of interest 

 to review that meeting and also give some Australian examples 

 relative to the subject. 



Dr. Percy R. Lowe opened the discussion,* and immediately 



* The editors, in order that readers will have a better idea of Dr. 

 Lowe's paper have added several footnotes, including four extracts fron: 

 Dr. Lowe's paper, which opened as follows : — 



" I should like to state at once that in the few remarks which 1 propose 

 to make on the subject of to-night's discussion, it is no part of my plan to 

 attempt in any way to upset the established characters and methods which 

 are employed in generic differentiation or to substitute for these some 

 brand-new scheme based on colour-characters. Such a proceeding would 

 be both futile and foolish. All I wish to accentuate is this — that colour- 

 pattern seems to be a very important feature in generic differentiation, 

 which has been, I cannot help thinking, unnecessarily neglected, looked 

 down upon, or ignored. I believe not only that colour-pattern furnishes, 

 in many instances, an important clue to the phylogenetic relationships of 

 various groups of species, but that it would, if properly applied, enable us 

 to get a practical and working idea of the limits of genera. 



" I believe, in a word, that the employment of the factor of colour-pattern 

 in generic differentiation would act, in many instances, in the way, so to 

 speak, of a control experiment by which we might either substantiate or 

 correct previous estimates of generic groups which have been based on 

 such characters as are usually employed. 



" Applied in a systematic way to all the genera which exist at the present 

 time throughout the whole class of birds, I cannot help thinking that many 

 of these genera would be found either to include too many species or too 



"Finally, I do not for one moment hold the view that this factor can be 

 universally applied to all genera, or anything like all ; but where it can be 

 \ised with good results, T can see no possible reason why it should not be 



applied and applied, moreover, without fear of laying ourselves open to 



the charge of mere amateurism." 



