^8 Correspondence. [^ 



Emu 

 St July 



edition " of Linnaeus, or the " 12th edition " of Linnseus, or at any 

 point of time other than the actual ]:)eginning, and say "That is 

 the starting point." 



Regarding Captain White's tilt that he " cannot see for a 

 moment how the list can stand when it is built up on such an 

 unsafe basis as John Gould's nomenclature," it is difficult to 

 understand the intended application of his remarks — whether in 

 respect to the law of priority, or to the binomial phase. I think 

 that it does not signify much which of the two is intended. John 

 Gould's nomenclature has, except as to a few emendations, stood 

 solidly for 50 years and upwards, and the basis is still so safe as to 

 bear, if required, the superadded weight of trinomialism. 



In respect to Captain White's personal remarks on the element- 

 ary knowledge of Australian ornithologists, 1 have only to say 

 that, whilst freely admitting the force of such remarks as applied 

 to myself, I at the same time strongly resent them so far as they 

 affect the standing of such ornithologists as Colonel Legge and 

 Messrs. A. J. Campbell, Robert Hall, Basset Hull, and John W. 

 Mellor. The published works of the three first-named gentlemen 

 are well known throughout the scientific world, and the special- 

 izations in ornithology of the last-named two are widely known and 

 appreciated. Verily, a prophet hath no honour in his own 

 country. 



Captain White's concluding remarks, reading " There are many 

 other weak points in the list which could be remedied, but the 

 fotmdations will not warrant the repair," are too indefinite and 

 obscure for reply. — Alex. Wm. Milligan.] 



THE ACANTHIZA OF FLINDERS ISLAND. 



To the Editors of " The Emu." 



Dear Sirs, — I wish to state, re contribution from Mr. F. M. 

 Littler under "Stray Feathers" in the last issue of Tlie Emu 

 (vol. xii., p. 278), that I am pleased to see his remarks about the 

 Acanthizas. He is right. I saw the mistake myself, but too 

 late to withdraw the note before publication. My explanation 

 of the matter is this : I labelled my skins A . diemenensis, and 

 wrote notes roughly for that bird. Later, I listened to other 

 opinions (I am sorry to say), and changed the name to A. ewingi. 

 I afterwards found my first judgment to be correct. The differ- 

 ence between the two birds is very slight, but an ornithologist 

 like Mr. Littler, who is so conversant with the birds of his island 

 home, would detect them immediately. I am alone responsible 

 for this error. — I am, &c., 



S. A. WHITE. 

 Wetunga (S.A.), 9/6/13. 



