THE BIEDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Nest. The nest of another species that builds a platform nest of stick, relined with soft bark. 
Eggs. Clutch, three. Ground-colour almost hidden by reddish-brown markings, mostly 
thicker at the larger end. Axis 44-48 mm. ; diameter 32-35. (Dawson River, 
Queensland). 
When Gould made his first big incursion into Australian Ornithology he 
named almost every specimen he could get as a new species and therefore 
assigned to this bird the name of Falco frontatus. It was figured in the 
Birds of Australia under the same name, though in the Annals and Magazine 
of Natural History, Vol. XI,, p. 189, 1843, G. R. Gray had proposed to use 
instead Falco lunulatus as of Latham. This usage was based on an examination 
of the Watling Drawings, and as Gould was an upholder of the Law of Priority 
he discarded his own name for that of Latham when he drew up his Handbook 
published in 1865. Consequently Latham’s name gained acceptance and was 
unhesitatingly recognised until I drew attention to the fact that Latham’s name 
was invalid. At that time I wrote {Austral Avian Bee., Vol. I., p. 189, 1913) : 
“ Falco lunulatus Latham is preoccupied by Daudin. . . . The next name 
is Falco frontatus Gould, which was published in January 1838, while Falco 
kmgi'pennis Swainson, as far as I know at present, was not published until later, 
and not 1837 as given in the ‘Reference List.’ On the previous page (251) of 
the ‘Reference List’ Falco melanogenys Gould was preferred to Falco macropus 
Swainson, but the years are given incorrectly in each case as 1837.” 
This note attracted the attention of Dr. C. W. Richmond, who at once 
kindly indicated my error, and I published a further correction in the next 
number of the Austral Avian Bee., Vol. II., p. 7, 1913, noting that Swainson’s 
name was published on January 1st, 1838, while Gould’s frontatus was not 
out till April 1838. 
The species-name of this bird therefore must be longipennis Swainson. 
At the same time I indicated that Falco melanotus White and Mellor, from 
Flinders Island, must be considered a synonym. 
Captain S. A. White has written me : “ The Little Falcon is never seen 
in numbers anywhere in South Australia : an occasional pair wiU be met with 
here and there ; they seem to prefer open-timbered country to the plains. 
“ For my Flinders Island bird see Emu, Vol. 12. I have compared this 
skin with a great many from Tasmania and it shows a remarkable distinction ; 
the collar-band is entirely wanting in this bird. I saw a pair at close quarters: 
only secured one. They are very swift of flight and call very loudly. Another 
section of the party who were camped on Cape Barren Island (which is only 
a mile or so from Flinders Island) shot another bird (which unfortunately 
they did not preserve), and those who saw it say it resembles my skin in 
every detail.” 
228 
I 
