V °oo in 'l DEGEN, New Species of Australian Magpies. 205 



Mr. Campbell has acquainted us that G. dorsalis occurs in the 

 districts lying chiefly to the south-west. With the exception of 

 the bill, again, which in the latter species is more curved, we once 

 more behold in the adult male merely another edition of G. 

 leuconota, and for the female we have something like a good 

 imitation of G. tibicen for the distribution of the black and white 

 portions of the back. As at the time of Mr. Campbell's descrip- 

 tion no existence of any other species — barring his remark, based 

 on report only, from Hammersley Range — was recorded from 

 Western Australia, with the exception of the bird mentioned by 

 Gould from the Swan River, which the latter author queried as 

 tibicen, it now would appear that Gould had to deal probably 

 with a specimen akin to one of those described by Mr. Milligan, 

 in which the black band occupies a narrower space. And this 

 would strongly account for the fact of Dr. E. P. Ramsay's 

 wavering whether to let it stand as G. tibicen, on second thoughts, 

 or on a further revision to transfer it as doubtful to G. leuconota, 

 as he did per list of 18S8. 



If it eventually can be proved that the longer bill is a constant 

 character, whether linear as observed for G. longirostris, or more 

 constantly curved in G. dorsalis than in G. leuconota, much of 

 the complexity attending the problem of this genus will be 

 removed, but not before. Evidence is not lacking, through the 

 introduction of these two Western forms, that somewhere due 

 west an intermingling of the two standard forms — viz., G. tibicen 

 and G. leuconota — has taken place, and as a direct consequence 

 of this fusion difformity of the bill may have to be reckoned with 

 as one of its results. How much more portions of white or 

 lighter colour, which, with a more complete knowledge of the 

 range and habitats of this genus, correspondingly seems to become 

 a more conspicuous feature, may be due to albinism, there is at 

 present no means of verification, and this quantity in its specific 

 estimation should not be neglected either, as may be seen 

 from remarks on this subject in connection with the observations 

 made on the decadency of the Pheasant in England, taken from 

 The Daily News (12/10/01), as follow: — 



" Can it be that our English game is getting decadent ? Can 

 the artificiality of our Pheasant-rearing and Pheasant-feeding 

 have reached a point that they are at last showing their ill results ? 

 The question is asked not with reference to the flesh of the birds, 

 but to their plumage. As to the flesh there is, indeed, little 

 doubt of the answer that should be given. We seem 'almost to 

 have lost the game bird of thirty or forty years ago. The modern 

 Pheasant is very little removed from the ordinary barn-door 

 fowl. The flavour of his cramming is strong, or, rather, is feeble 

 and insipid, upon him. He tastes of grain and chicken food. 

 It is the price the consumer pays for his abundance in the market. 

 He has ceased to have the quality fercB natures. Anyone who 

 has tasted a Pheasant shot, say, in the wild parts of Ireland, will 

 admit what a good judge the wild bird is of the food which agrees 



