Vol.XVII 



1917 



1 Campbell and Barnard, Birds of N . Queensland. 27 



men procured appeared referable to Gould's lineuoupiUu. [On a former 

 visit, 1914, this species was common in grassy situations, Bellenden 

 Plains, where it was breeding. — A. J. C] 



Megalurus galactotes. Tawny Grass-Bird. 

 Diilcioy)iis alistevi dulcei. 



One specimen was secured in some rank grass country near Card- 

 well, and it resembles skins collected in other northern parts of 

 Australia 



By the dulcet music ol a new and trinomial name, Dulciornis alisteri 

 dulciei, for this " tolerably abundant " northern bird, Mr. Mathews 

 endeavours to allure students away from an old and familiar name. 

 Mr. Mathews's only excuse for abandoning the old name is given in 

 his " Reference-list to the Birds of Australia " (1912"). In a note 

 he states : — " The name hitherto used for this bird has been M . 

 galactotes, Temminck. Reference to the original figure and description 

 shows this to be inapplicable. The figure (Plan. Color. d'Ois, vol. i., 

 lie livr., pi. Ixv., fig. i, 1823) gives a bird disagrreeing entirely in 

 general coloration with the Austi-alian bird. . . . The locality 

 given by Temminck (New Holland) must therefore be erroneous, and 

 I find that Temminck's figure is almost certainly that of an African 

 species of Cisticola, and, moreover, agrees well with the bird at present 

 known as C. erythrogenys, Riippell." 



Granted that Mr. Mathews's note is correct, and that an older 

 drawing is doubtful, why has he passed over Gould's superb and 

 truthfully-coloured plate (" Birds of Australia," vol. iii., pi. 35) and 

 letterpress description, both of which have stood for 70 years ? It 

 is incidents of this kind that shake students' faith in Mr. Mathews's 

 new names which he proposes for so many old and well-known names 

 of Australian birds. Changes like these create confusion. 



Sericornis citreigularis. Ycllow-thro.ited Scrub-Wren. 



Neosericornis latliami cairnsi. 



These bright and active little birds were always seen about the 

 ground or threading scrub near thereto. They are smaller l)irds and 

 richer-coloured than their more southern brethren. 



Sericornis laevigaster. Buff-breasted Scrub-Wren. 



Sericornis longirostris Icsvigaster. 



This northern Scrub- Wren was only seen on the table-land, chiefly 

 along the Kin-ama Creek, where families fossicked for food, after the 

 fashion of frontalis. 



Sericornis (magnirostris) viridior. T.arge-billed Scrub- Wren. 



.Sericornis magnirostris viridior. 



This large-billed Scrub- Wren was occasionally met with, especially 

 in dense scrub where "lawyer" canes grew. Nests were also taken. 

 When seen in the open for the first time the bird reminds one more 

 of an Acanthiza than a Sericornis, but its comparatively powerful 

 legs "put it away." The male has a slightly more yellowish tone 

 of plumage than the female. 



Oreoscopus gutturalis. Fern-Wren. 



Figure — Emu, vol. viii., pi. A. 



This species is one of the novelties ol the northern scrubs. It 

 spends almost its whole time on the ground, and resembles the 

 Sericornes. It builds a bulkv nest, almost entirely of moss, and as 



