THE BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA. 
on© to twenty. The majority, as is always the case, are either females or 
immature males, and are of a very deep brown hue, which will wear in a 
fortnight to a greyish-brown, more in harmony with the grey soil they love 
to frequent. A few days later a solitary specimen of Petroica rhodinogastra 
in brown plumage was observed. I strongly suspect that this species is much 
more common about the metropolis (Melbourne) in winter than is generally 
supposed, for it is easily mistaken for the female of P. phocnicea, which it 
resembles at a distance, but it differs in being smaller, deeper in colour, and 
with a brownish mark on the wing instead of white, and in frequenting thick 
growths about the gardens or forest instead of the open country.” 
Then the same worker published in the Emu, Vol. VIII., p. 122, 1909, a 
most valuable contribution entitled, “The Flame-breasted Robin ( Petroica 
phoenicea) : a Monograph.” Those interested I must refer to the article, 
which deals completely with the evidence regarding its migratory habits, and 
simply record : — 
“ The conclusions I feel justified in drawing from the foregoing facts 
are these : — 
(a) That the Flame-breasted Robin does not regularly migrate from 
the mainland to Tasmania or the islands of Bass Straits in spring 
and back again in autumn. 
(b) That the species remains the whole year round in Tasmania. 
(c) That the Robins frequenting the low country of South-eastern 
Australia in winter retire to the adjacent highlands to nest.” 
My correspondents have in their notes confirmed the above, and I do 
not think any ornithologist at the present time considers the migration theory 
at all, the simple fact of these birds breeding in the highlands being generally 
recognised. 
Gould described this species in the Proc. Zool. Soc. for 1836, and his name 
from that quotation was long accepted as the species name. It was, however, 
recognised by me that Quoy and Gaimard’s Muscicapa chrysoptera was given 
to this species and having priority must be accepted as the specific name. 
When I prepared my “ Reference List ” I admitted two subspecies, 
P. p. phocnicea Gould from New South Wales and P. p. albicans (Victoria) from 
Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, noting the larger amount of white 
on the fore-head as a feature of the latter. 
When Witmer Stone examined the Gouldian types he only found South 
Australian specimens and consequently concluded that South Australia must 
be the right type locality. I therefore named the New South Wales bird 
anew. I find now that Gould first published the name in the Synopsis Birds 
Austr., pt. i., pi. (7) which appeared on January 1st, 1837, whereas the Proc. 
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