THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
way. Some ornithologist should write up accounts of these common birds 
as fully as possible, as it may be that their habits may change owing to the 
progress of civilisation, and a good record might show to a succeeding 
generation the economy of the bird as understood at the present time. 
When Sharpe prepared the Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum 
he separated the Australian Robin known up to that time as Petroica multicolor 
under the name Petroica leggii, restricting the former to the Norfolk Island 
Robin, to which it had been given. Sharpe’s name was proposed for 
Australian birds as a whole and as he indicated it was for S. erythrogastra 
Lewin, and Petroica multicolor Vigors and Horsfield, New South Wales was 
given by me as the type locality. I note now, however, that the only bird 
perhaps from New South Wales that Sharpe had before him was a female from 
Australia from the Linnean Society, while he had a series from Tasmania, and 
it was this series upon which he based his separative characters. I therefore 
select as type of Petroica leggii Sharpe the specimen “f. ad. Tasmania 
J. B. Jukes, Esq. (P).” Some Australian orthithologists have considered 
the Tasmanian bird as subspecifically distinct and consequently this name 
will be available, and moreover it is pleasing to associate Legge’s name with 
a Tasmanian bird as he was most interested in those forms. 
At the same time Sharpe observed that one West Australian bird seemed 
to differ and that it might represent a new species. Twenty years later he 
definitely separated the West Australian form as a new species under the 
name Petroeca campbelli. The two names leggii and campbelli were more 
or less commonly used until 1906 : several writers suggested they referred to 
varietal forms rather than species. In that year A. G. Campbell drew up 
a scientific account of the birds of Kangaroo Island, and, observing that the 
island supplied a link between the species of birds from South-eastern and 
Western Australia, wrote : “I would suggest that the specific name halmaturina 
be applied (to certain forms) ; and should subsequent research and more 
material warrant it that the same name be subspecifically applied to Petroeca 
leggii , etc.,” and stated the facts thus : “ Petroica leggii (? variety). There 
is an interesting fink between eastern and western forms. The Island bird 
has the breast colour of the eastern with the small cap of the western, thus 
combining the two. In most measurements, however, it is smallest.” 
Later regarding birds from Eyre Peninsula, Hall recorded : “ Petroica 
leggei. The frontal white mark was too large for that of P. campbelli of 
Western Australia.” 
Mr. Edwin Ashby has written me : “I have collected these birds in 
southern West Australia, South Australia, Victoria and southern New South 
Wales, and, of course, on Kangaroo Island and Tasmania. As far as the various 
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