THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
when Hartert wrote up the Katal. Vogels. Mus. Senckerib., he lumped this 
species with Cladorhyndius leucocephalus in the genus Himantopus. This 
course necessitated the provision of a new name for the present form, which 
was therefore called Himaniopus seehoTimi. The Australian birds and those 
occurring in New Zealand were for a long time lumped, but Sharpe in 
the Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.^ Vol. XXIV., separated the New Zealand form 
and used EUman’s name of picatus. The non-recognition by Sharpe and 
BuUer of subspecies, caused the recording from New Zealand of the Austra- 
lian H. leucocephalus. The nomenclature and status of the New Zealand bird 
has been investigated by Iredale and myself {Ihis 1913, p. 255), and it is 
unnecessary to here again detail the reasons but simply record the conclusions 
arrived at. 
The forms I would admit are — 
Hypsihates leucocephalus leucocephalus Gould ; Eastern Australia. 
Hypsibates leucocephalus assimilis Mathews ; West Australia, Northern 
Territory. 
These birds are smaller with a shorter tarsus and shorter culmen. As 
females are noticeably smaller than males, it is necessary to see that series are 
correctly sexed. A series of typical birds give d wing 239-245, tarsus 126, 
culmen 64 ; $ wing 221-233, tarsus 123-127, culmen 61. North-western birds 
give, wing $ 223-232, tarsus 109-119, culmen 59-61. 
A series of birds from East Timor do not fall into either of the preceding, 
and I propose to call them — 
Hypsihates leucocephalus ti^norensis, subsp. n. ; East Timor, ? North 
Celebes. The measurements read: <? wing 235-239, tarsus 117-119.5, culmen 
63-64; $ wing 208-219, tarsus 108-114, culmen 59-63. 
It will be seen that the wing is almost as long as in the typical form, 
while the tarsus is shorter : the females are noticeably smaller. I doubtfully 
ally with these, birds from the North Celebes as they have the same wing- 
measurements though shghtly longer tarsus, but not as long as the East 
AustraUan form. The name to be used for the New Zealand White-headed 
Stilt is — 
Hypsihates leucocephalus alhus EUman, as the bird is simply a subspecies 
of H. leucocephalus. It differs at sight by the white coUar being mottled 
with black, and the tail is always darker — rarely a bird is procured which 
has the coUar pure white, and such a bird has been the cause of records 
of the Australian form from New Zealand. The New Zealand Black Stilt 
is quite a well-marked distinct species, having a much longer biU and much 
shorter and stouter legs than any form of H. leucocephalus. 
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