THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
be stated here that the preceding notes were drawn up from hterature after 
I had made my own deductions from a study of the birds, and not before. 
This is noteworthy, as the study of the hterature would have prepared the 
way for the facts I observed. 
Black-billed birds — 
Particoloured-billed birds 
C. vociferus. 
C. Maticula. 
placidus. 
7nelodus. 
alexandrinus. 
duhius. 
nivosus. 
se^nipahnatus. 
occidentalis. 
tricollaris. 
collaris. 
bifrontatus. 
falklaudicus. 
forbesi. 
margiuatus. 
cucullatus. 
venustus. 
melanops. 
pallidus. 
novcB-zelandice. 
pecuarius. 
sanctcehelence. 
peroni. 
ruficapillus. 
If these two groups be carefully criticised as to bill-characters, first it 
wiU be seen that all the black-billed birds have longish slender bills, with long 
swoUen dertrum almost half the length of the culmen, and that the depth 
of the biU at the middle of the dertrum is equal to the depth at the base ; 
while aU the birds with particoloured bills have shorter culmens, with little 
swollen and shorter dertrum which is noticeably less than half the length of the 
culmen, and the depth of the dertrum is much less than the depth of the base 
of the biU. The real significance of the difference in the form of the bills seems 
of much taxonomic import, and suggests to me different origin. I would 
regard the particoloured-biUed birds as having been derived from a Vanelhne 
stock while the black-billed birds have descended from a Pluvialine ancestor. 
When this feature is grasped many other characters can be noticed. The 
members of the hiaticukb group have short thick legs and fairly strong feet, 
while the black-billed group have longer legs and weaker feet. 
Only one member of the black-billed group is found in Australia, and to 
obtain the correct generic name needs more careful work. Three names are in 
existence for these birds — Oxyechus, the earfiest, being given to C. vociferus. 
It needs little consideration to decide that this name is inappHcable to 
the httle Australian ruficapillus. Gould provided JEgialopihilus for the birds 
congeneric with this, but he had been anticipated by Bonaparte who had 
introduced Leucopolius for 7narginatuSf pecuarius^ and kittUtzi. In the 
112 
