REED-WARBLER. 
Warblers in tall reeds while he was Wild Goose shooting. Further south, 
near Mackay, during July, Reed- Warblers were heard in the sugar cane and 
among lantana (introduced) scrub.” 
The variations in this species are not well-known when the minute dif- 
ferences utilised by Palaearctic workers in this group are considered. The 
climatic conditions in Australia tend to produce well-marked forms in certain 
cases, and this group is definitely variable. Many years ago Gould distin- 
guished the Western Australian form as a distinct species on account of its 
longer bill, and this has been maintained until very recent years. As the 
earliest reference to the eastern form was cited the name used by Gould in 
his folio Birds of Australia, where he called it Acrocephalus australis, the 
western form having been previously named Calamoherpe longirostris. These 
two names were used for distinct species until 1901 when Dubois, recognising 
the invalidity of the latter name, renamed it Acrocephalus gouldi. 
The consideration of the series for my “Reference List” in 1912 showed 
these “two” species to be subspecific value only and I recognised two others 
as follows: 
Acrocephalus australis australis Gould. 
South Queensland, New South Wales. 
Acrocephalus australis mellori Mathews. 
“ Differs from A. a. australis in its larger size (wing 78 mm.) and paler 
rump. Mannam, S.A.” 
Victoria and South Australia. 
Acrocephalus australis gouldi Dubois. 
South-west Australia. 
Acrocephalus australis carterce Mathews. 
“ Differs from A. a. gouldi in being much lighter above, especially on 
the head, while the back is brownish, where in that form it is olive-green. 
Derby, N.W.A.” 
North-west Australia. 
When I received Melville Island birds I named : 
Acrocephalus australis melvillensis Mathews. 
“ Differs from A. a. carterce in its much thicker, heavier bill, and larger 
size generally.” 
A little later Witmer Stone wrote that the Gouldian types in Philadelphia 
were labelled South Australia, and therefore that should be accepted as the 
type locality. I consequently named the New South Wales bird : 
Acrocephalus australis inexpectatus 
and A. a. mellori became a synonym of the typical subspecies. It is rather 
pleasing to record a new reconsideration of the subspecific names and the 
YOL. IX. 
361 
