CONIGRAVEA. 
Hartert in his famous essay wrote : “I cannot see the reason why this 
species and C. ruftgaster are separated generically and placed with Pinarolestes. 
C. parvula stands between the group of large species ( harmonica , brunnea, 
etc.) and the small ones (ruftgaster, parvissima, etc.). The eggs of the former 
and latter groups are quite alike, except in size.” 
On the same page, a little higher up, Hartert had written : “ I may 
here add that ‘ Collyriocichla sibilci ’ and ‘ Pinarolestes boweri ,’ in Sharpe’s 
Handlist, IV., pp. 269, 270, are the same, and that in my opinion this species 
is a Pinarolestes and not a Colluricincla. The generic name was originally 
spelt Colluricincla, and Dr. Sharpe’s recent spelling is an error.” 
Throughout the essay quoted Hartert’s remarks are more or less 
inaccurate, and it is a little difficult to understand what he did mean in 
the above statements. Did he mean that he would admit boweri as a species 
of the genus Pinarolestes, and reject all the other Australian forms from that 
group, and call them all Colluricincla ? Two years previously Rothschild 
and Hartert, dealing with Papuan birds, had classed ruftgaster in Pinarolestes 
and had even written : “ The existence of the latter (specific) name has 
probably escaped Dr. v. Madarasz, because its author placed it with Colluri- 
cincla which is quite a distinct genus (from Pinarolestes (ruftgaster) ).” 
Then in 1913, eight years later than the above mentioned account, 
Rothschild and Hartert use Pinarolestes for the megarhyncha series. Such 
records are very difficult to follow, as Rothschild and Hartert still maintain 
a lumping attitude in general, though sometimes splitting in particular cases, 
and no one knows whether this is one of the exceptions or not. 
On the above my ascription of parvula to a distinct genus seems justified 
by Hartert’s conclusions, while the reference of boweri to a distinct genus 
Bowyeria is indicated by Hartert, as he was confusing Caleya with Pinarolestes, 
which is a Fijian group of no close relationship, and he used Pinarolestes for 
megarhyncha which is the type form of my Caleya. 
VOL. X. 
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