THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
this species shows more local variation than almost any other bird, but as yet 
individual, sexual and seasonal changes have not been accurately determined 
and, consequently, all work must be more or less tentative, being dependent upon 
the material studied. I may therefore here note that I have criticised a few 
hundreds of birds in the preparation of this account. 
In 1903, A. J. Campbell described Acanthiza magnirostris : “ Length 4*25 ; 
culmen *45, wing 2*0, tail P6, tarsus '7 has more of the black and white 
mottled under-surface than Acanthiza diemenensis, and thus more resembles 
Acanthiza jpusilla in this respect, but may be easily separated from both these 
birds by the great size of its bill. Four specimens (two being young) of the new 
species were collected by Mr. A. G. Campbell on King Island ” who “ also brought 
under my notice another Tit, of which unfortunately he was only able to 
procure a single specimen — an adult, however. It differs from the three species 
of Tits before mentioned by its more slender tarsi and wings, but conspicuously 
by the absence of the light crescent-shaped marks on the brownish (rufous- 
brown) feathers of the forehead, and by the white feathers of the cheeks, chest, 
etc., having the centre only black and not also edged with that colour as in the 
other species. Length 4’0 ; culmen '3, wing 2T, tail 1*6, tarsus *85. By 
this diagnosis I strongly suspect the stranger to be a re-discovery of Gould’s 
long-lost Acanthiza ewingii. If not, and pending the receipt of more material, 
I venture to provisionally name the bird Acanthiza rufifrons, or the King Island 
Tit.” 
A. G. Campbell’s notes read : “ Acanthizce (Tits). One bird shot on the 
Pass River coincides in every particular with the description of Acanthiza 
ewingii of Gould, which was afterwards merged by that naturalist, presumably 
for want of further material, with Acanthiza diemenensis. At the same time 
attention was drawn to its being the slenderer bird, with more brown at the base 
of the primaries. A second Acanthiza , which inhabits more the shorter scrub 
of King Island, away from the water-courses, proves to be a species quite distinct 
from any known; a description of it is given in another part of this issue under 
the name of Acanthiza magnirostris .” 
Before proceeding further, note the discrepancy again between the measure- 
ments here given and those by Gould, as here a bird with a culmen *45 is stated 
to have a larger bill than Gould’s one with ^ inch. 
The same year at the Congress of the Australasian Ornithologists’ Union, 
held in Tasmania, the rediscovery of Acanthiza ewingii was reported, and 
Colonel Legge wrote up the details pointing out the principal characteristics of 
the latter as “ the rufescent forehead, the greater length of tarsus, and the 
dark “ winglet ” (at point of wing). To these may well be added, as a marked 
feature, the greater length of tail. Minor differences are darker upper-surface 
424 
