THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
young one had been fed last. Sometimes they would both feed the same 
one, but more often would feed the one on either side and then the middle 
one. Several times the mother remained with the young while the male 
bird was away hunting, and it was a very pretty sight to see how she attended 
the little ones, preening their feathers, and pulling off little bits of fluff and 
generally making them look smart against their father’s return. I may state 
that it is not a rare bird in my opinion, if one knows its habits and where to 
look for it ; but being a scrub bird, it naturally retreats farther away as the 
land is cleared, especially the creeks and gullies, which are its natural haunts.” 
The question of the disposition of Gould’s types is under review and I 
have suggested that Gould did not always figure the specimen he first described, 
but if a better bird came to hand he would utilise that. This view is well 
confirmed in the case of the present species, as there are two specimens in the 
British Museum both purchased from Gould at different times ; one bears Gould’s 
label with the information in Gould’s own handwriting “ Acanthiza magna. 
Type and only specimen V. D. Land.” while the other bears Gould’s label with 
the handwriting of his assistant “ Acanthiza magna new species figd. in pt. 2 
Supp. Birds Australia” and “Tasmania” added in another hand. 
