2 Leach, The Myology of the Bell-Magpie. [,sfTiiv 



The Myology of the BelI'Magpie (Strepera) and its 



Position in Classification. 



By J. A. Leach, D.Sc, Col. M. B.O.U. 



My purpose in entering on an examination of the Bell- Magpie 

 {Strepera) was to endeavour to find evidence that would settle 

 the vexed question as to whether that bird was more closely 

 related to Corviis or to Gymnorhina and Cracticits. The work was 

 carried out in the laboratories of the Biology School, University 

 of Melbourne, under the personal supervision of Acting- Professor 

 T. S. Hall, to whom I am indebted for many valuable suggestions 

 and much helpful advice and direction. I am also indebted to 

 Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S., Curator National Museum, Melbourne, 

 for the loan of specimens and literature. 



Gould was quite satisfied on this point, for he said, in the 

 " Introduction to the Birds of Australia," page 33, the relationship 

 of the birds of the genus Strepera " to the Corvidce, to which they 

 have been usually assigned, is very remote, their size and colour 

 being, in fact, the only features of resemblance. Their whole 

 structure and economy are, indeed, very different from those of 

 every other bird known, except those of Gymnorhina and 

 Cradicus, with which genera they form a very natural group, 

 most nearly allied to the great family of the LaniidcB, or Shrikes." 



The late Dr. Bowdler Sharpe. on the other hand, seemed unable 

 to make up his mind on the point. In the " Catalogue of Birds 

 in the British Museum," vol. iii.. page 57, Sharpe placed Strepera 

 in the Corvidce, away from Gymnorhina and Cracticus. In vol. iv. 

 of his more recently published " Hand-list of Birds," on page 278, 

 he placed Strepera in the sub-family Gymnorhina of the Laniidce. 

 Mathews, apparently following Sharpe's manuscript of vol. v. of 

 the " Hand-list of Birds," placed Strepera in the Corvidce in his 

 " Hand-hst of the Birds of Australasia." When vol. v. of the 

 " Hand-list of Birds " appeared, it was seen that Sharpe had 

 placed Strepera in the family Streperidce, following the Corvidce, 

 and had left Gymnorhina and Cracticus in the Laniidce. 



Mathews, in his " Reference-Hst," 1912, again included Strepera 

 in the Corvidce. He further suppressed the genus Gymnorhina. 

 and placed the birds now included in that genus in the older genus 

 Cracticus ; Cracticus was left in the Laniidce. It was in the hope 

 of settling whether Strepera was related to Corviis or to Gym- 

 norhina that this work was undertaken. The results show that 

 Strepera, Gymnorhina, and Cracticus are closely related, and form 

 a natural group, probably as much entitled to family rank as many 

 of the so-called families of the Oscines section of the Passeriformes. 

 All writers admit the great difficulty of classifying the Oscines, 

 for more than half of the 19,000 species of birds are included in 

 that group. Parker exclaimed, " One hundred classifiers, one 

 hundred so-called systems ! " 



Dr. Shufeldt made a detailed study of the myology of the 

 Raven, which he pul)lished under that title. It was thought 



