THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
eggs. For the most part they frequent the arid regions of the Mallee and 
are usually to he met with in pairs as they hunt for insects ensconced in the 
leaves of the Mallee scrub ( Eucalyptus dumosa). It is interesting to observe 
how carefully these birds search any place that is likely to conceal any insect 
life, and while they are doing so they utter at times a sweet ‘Tink-Tink’ 
note. Most of the Honey-eaters, especially the graceful Honey-eater (Ptilotis 
ornata), show a combative attitude towards this lovely little bird. No doubt 
they resent the Pardalote’s presence because they compete for the insect life 
of the Mallee eucalypts on which both varieties of birds feed.” 
From Eyre’s Peninsula Capt. S. A. White recorded: “ Pardalolus 
xanthopygus takes the place of P. ornata, which seems to keep to the larger 
timber, in which they nest; while P. xanthopygus frequents the low scrub 
and nests in the soft soil.” 
Wilson, from the Victorian Mallee, wrote : “ This pretty little form was 
alw r ays present on the sand hills, where many of them had started nesting. 
At Ouzen nests were found containing incomplete clutches, but at Kow Plains 
they were not so forward, having just started tunnelling. Several of then 
excavations were noticed along the tracks that do service as roadways. 
Their bell-like note is exactly similar to that of P. punctatus, but not quite so 
loud.” 
The technical history of this species shows only one important item accom¬ 
panied with notable geographical variation. One of the earliest New South 
Wales birds to be described, Goidd noted its wide distribution without separating 
any subspecies ; but in 1866-7 the Mallee bird w r as seen to differ and at present 
I believe this species has the honour of showing the first recognised Mallee 
form. This Mallee form was simultaneously named by McCoy and Ramsay, 
apparently from birds supplied by the same collector (Leadbeater); each 
sent their descriptions to England to be published, but while Ramsay sent 
his to the Zoological Society of London, McCoy forwarded his to the Annals 
and Magazine of Natural History and this was published on March 1st, 1867; 
in the Ibis a note was furnished drawing attention to the fact that, although 
Ramsay’s paper was read on Feb. (28 ?), McCoy’s name was published on 
March 1st, and asking for advice. The result was that Ramsay’s account 
was never published. 
McCoy’s species wms at once recognised, but until I prepared my 
“Reference List” in 1912 no consideration of the species as a whole had 
been midertaken. Upon arranging my series geographically it w r as seen that 
variation w r as pronounced tiu-oughout the species and that really it was only 
a matter of writing down the differences and naming the subspecies. It was 
also seen that the species xanthopygus wms merely the Mallee subspecies, but, 
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