82 THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD [Vol. I 



accepted bjr his fellow-workers in Australia, although it 

 may meet the approval of some of the more ardent 

 members of the new school." 



Of course, it is quite impossible to go into controversy 

 with anyone totally unacquainted with the subject 

 they criticise, and as the article is uninitialed I presume 

 the Editors of the Ibis are responsible ; so I must fall 

 back upon the contributors to that journal for examples 

 of the work of " fellow-workers," as the American 

 ornithologists might be cited as members of the "new 

 school." The first name in that same number is W. R. 

 Ogilvie-Grant, and I would consider that writer would 

 not claim to belong to the " new school," more especially 

 as he is the champion cited in the above criticism, on 

 account of his revision of the Australian Crows. 



In a recent number of the Bull. Rrit. Ornith. Club., 

 Vol. XXIX., pp. 26-7, Ogilvie-Grant introduced some 

 new species, four of which are given the following 

 characters : " (1) The upper-parts uniform deep black 

 instead of dull brownish-black ; (2) Larger, and with 

 the throat and breast paler ; (3) larger, and with a 

 shorter and stouter bill ; (4) by its much longer bill, 

 and by having the concealed edges of the dense feathers 

 of the rump grey, instead of pure white." 



I agree with Mr. Ogilvie-Grant that the above 

 characters are sufficient cause for differentiation — but 

 I consider them of subspecific value only, not specific. 

 Otherwise I fail to see where I disagree as to the 

 amount of variation necessary for the nomination of a 

 new form. 



The views of my fellow-workers in Australia may 

 be crystallized by example in the same definite manner. 

 In Bulletin No. 3 of the Royal Austral. Ornith. Union, 

 21.5.12, A. J. Campbell describes three new birds. No 

 one acquainted with this worker would suggest his 

 adherence to the " new school," yet his differential 

 characters are : (1) Smaller, possessing the same lustrous 

 deep blue-black plumage as the larger ; (2) " General 



