No. 6.] THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD 141 



and should, indeed, be included in this Family. The skull 

 bears a general resemblance to that of Oraucalus. It is 

 certainly not an Oriole, at any rate, if the skulls in the Museum 

 Collection are rightly labelled, and there seems to be no reason 

 to doubt this. The fact that Sphecotheres has not developed 

 the peculiar spiny ramp feathers so characteristic of the 

 Campophagidm may be urged, by some, as an objection to 

 the introduction of this genus to the Family Campophagidce. 

 This, however, does not seem a very weighty objection, for 

 the feathers in question vary in the degree of their spininess 

 very considerably, in some genera it is hardly noticeable." 



On p. 96, Supplement, Vol. XII. , of the Emu, 1913, a footnote 

 reads : " *714-715, Mr. Milligan claims that, as a result of 

 field and cabinet observation, this genus should be included 

 in the Campophagidce." I have seen no further explanation 

 given by Milligan, but if his observations were made, ignorant 

 of Pycraft's conclusions, the transference of the genus to the 

 neighbourhood of the Campophagidce is certain. I will therefore 

 accept this location as the best at the present time. 



Secondly. The status of Sphecotheres stalkeri Ingram. 

 This species was based on two birds shot, out of a flock of six 

 or eight, at " Mount Elliot, North Queensland." The species 

 has not since been met with, and as the species of this 

 genus are familiar birds, this raised doubt in my mind as to 

 the correctness of the locality. Unfortunately Stalker, the 

 collector, died while collecting in New Guinea, so that no recourse 

 is possible, but at the present time I am inclined to believe 

 that Stalker collected these birds in New Guinea, and labelled 

 them, by accident, when he was at Townsville. Had he lived 

 he might have explained, as similar accidents have occurred 

 before, with a simple explanation. Upon comparison with 

 New Guinea skins, the differences indicated by Ingram are 

 seen to depend upon individual variation, which series might 

 either emphasise or reduce. They are not distinctive of 

 racial differentiation without confirmation of series from 

 the locality named : this in itself is a factor in my conclusion, 

 as the congener S. flavivenlris shows well-marked geographical 

 racial forms. 



