No. 6.] THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD 139 



ON TURDUS MAXILLARIS LATHAM. 

 By Gregory M. Mathews. 



Plate VI. 



In the Index Ornithologicus, Supplement, p. XLIII., 1801, 

 Latham gave the Latin designation T(urdus) maxillaris to 

 the Maxillary Thr(ush), which he described in the General 

 Synopsis of Birds, Second Supplement, p. 186, as follows : 



" Size of the last (= Song Thrush) : crown of the head 

 black, passing between the bill and eye on each side, and 

 ending in a large patch below the jaw ; hind part of the neck 

 dull blue ; back, wings and tail brown, with a tinge of greenish 

 bronze on the shoulders, mixed with black and green ; all 

 the underparts of the body pale blueish white ; tail even at 

 the end ; the tips of all the feathers of it white ; the bill has 

 both mandibles slightly curved, and brown ; hides orange ; 

 legs yellow. 



Met with at Port Jacksori, in New Holland ." 



The description did not easily fit any Australian bird, and 

 the name was more or less ignored until 1843 when the draw- 

 ings in the possession of the Earl of Derby were examined by 

 G. R. Grajr, H. Strickland, and J. Gould. The first report was 

 written by the former, who accurately determined a number 

 and did not guess at the remainder. Strickland then gave 

 additional notes on those which had been omitted, and this 

 was one of them. He credited Gould with assistance, and 

 consequently in his Handbook Gould made use of the name, 

 being a strict prioritarian . 



He used it for a species of Sjjhecotheres without any explana- 

 tion, and since then it has been continually in use, no one 

 questioning the association. When Sharpe recorded the 

 acquisition and identification of the Watling drawings he 

 passed over this species without comment, writing : " No. 151 

 . . . Sphecotheres maxillaris (Lath.)," adding Watling's note: 

 " The natural size of the bird the drawing was taken from. 

 December." 



When I reviewed these drawings, on account of the errors 



