THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
This is misleading, as it is essentially a mid-west bird, and has never been 
observed by me anywhere south of the Swan River, nor at Broome Hill. 
It is a species that likes open country, and is not likely to occur in 
the prevailing xorests of the south-west, where its place is taken by the Wood- 
Swallow (A. cyanopterus). From my personal observations, extending over 
more than thirty years, this is one of the commonest birds between the 
North-west Cape and Gascoyne River after heavy winter rains. It is sometimes 
seen after summer rains.” Later, he added “Were seen in the Gascoyne 
and Minilya districts on all three trips, but were most plentiful in 1916, 
when many nests containing eggs or young were seen in September. A nest 
with three eggs was seen at the Minilya on 9th September, 1911.” 
Mr. Edwin Ashby writes : “ My opportunities of watching these 
birds in South Australia have been few, as it is a distinctly northern 
species. I have specimens shot at Morchard which is about as far south as 
I think it occurs. In Nov., 1920, I found the subspecies A. venustus very 
common at Wongara and Watheroo sand plains in Western Australia. In 
common with other members of the genus these were in the habit of settling 
on some low tree or bush in little companies, and soaring off from time to 
time after insects with that particular grace of flight that forms the especial 
charm of the Wood-Swallows. In the first week of Now, 1920, the young 
were fully fledged, in fact as perfect in their flight as their parents, but still 
showed the speckled plumage.” 
This is the exception in the Wood-Swallows as regards its scientific 
history judged technically. The present form is apparently non-migratory 
and variable in a peculiar manner, which variation is more or less 
geographical as well as individual. Gould, familiar with the birds in 
Australia, was misled into magnifying the differences observed, and it is 
probable that to-day we are no wiser than Gould. The reason for this 
statement will be seen after the perusal of the history here detailed. 
Gould admitted as a West Australian bird, Artamus cinereus Yieillot. 
and then he described Artamus albiventris, based on two specimens, one from 
the Darling Downs (Queensland), the other from northward of that locality ; 
he distinguished this as “ smaller, with white under tail- coverts and the 
lighter colour of the lower part of the abdomen.” Of A. cinereus 
he had written “ under tail-coverts jet-black.” He then added A. melanops 
from South Australia as “ unlike every other known member of the genus. . . 
differs from A. albiventris in the jet-black under tail-coverts, and from 
A. cinereus in its smaller size and greater extent of black on the face.” 
In 1878, Sharpe reviewed the genus and admitted A. cinereus Viellot ; 
A. albiventris Gould, “a species with which I am unacquainted ; A. meiano'ps 
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