TAWNY FROGMOUTH. 
P. phalcBnoides, . citing P. hrachypterus as a synonym, but reserving, in a 
footnote, “ I am not yet prepared to admit that P . hrachypterus and P. 
phalcencddes are reaUy identical.” In the range of the latter was included 
South (Central) Australia. 
When North prepared the Austr. Mus. Spec. Cat., No. 1, with a perversity 
that has been recently pointed out he included Podargus strigoides and 
P. hrachypterus, with no mention of any other race or species. In connection 
with the former species he gave a resume of the history of the name strigoides 
and commented upon the variation of the coloration. He indicated the fact 
that typical specimens were generally not tawny. He did not mention that 
hrachypterus might be a subspecies, but regarded it as a species smaller than 
strigoides. He also regarded the South and Central Australian birds as referable 
to the smaller species. It would have been interesting to have had North’s 
opinion regarding the northern birds, as Masters had named one form gouldi, 
from the Gulf of Carpentaria, and this had been reported from North-west 
Australia by Ramsay, while the Museum would certainly have available for 
comparison typical specimens of phalcenoides and also North Queensland birds. 
No other Australian worker was in so favoured a position, yet advantage was 
not taken of it, a matter much to be regretted. 
In the following account of my own conclusions I wish it to be always 
borne in mind that these are the results of examination of birds quite 
unprejudiced by the work of others, and it is interesting to note that in 
nearly every case I am in agreement with previous conclusions, arrived at by 
the examination of different material and often by different methods. 
When I prepared my “ Reference List ” to the Birds of Australia pubUshed 
in January, 1912 {Nov. Zool. Vol. XVIII.), I reviewed the series I had brought 
together in accordance with subspecific considerations then accepted by British 
and American ornithologists. There could be no doubt that P. phalcenoides 
could only be regarded as a subspecies, while many marked subspecies were 
recognisable and I admitted ten races as follows : — 
Podargus strigoides strigoides (Latham). New South Wales. 
Podargus strigoides cornwalli. 
Differs from P. s. strigoides in its very much paler coloration and smaller 
size ; wing 266-8 mm. ; typical birds from New South Wales, wing 285-9 mm. 
Type: Mackay, Queensland. 
Queensland. 
Podargus strigoides victoricE. 
Differs from P. s. strigoides in its larger size ; wing 292-300 mm. ; typical 
birds from New South Wales, wing 285-9 mm. Type : Victoria. 
Victoria. 
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