THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
This transference of names by Gould misled later workers, and we find 
Ramsay recognising Stigmatops subocularis as the Cairns bird, and then from 
Derby, North-west Australia, he recorded it, observing: “ Those who will 
take the trouble to compare veritable specimens of S. ocularis Gould with the 
present species, will at once see the differences pointed out by Mr. Gould, and 
the distinction between these two species,” entirely overlooking the original 
confusion. 
In 1901 Ashby wrote: “ Guilford, near Perth. One male. This skin is 
considerably more grey in plumage than is a skin I have from York, W.A., 
collected by myself in 1889. The York skin is decidedly more rufous in 
coloration, the under-side of the head markedly so. The York skin is not 
sexed. The district is dry, while Perth is a wet district.” 
Milligan also noted that they were “ Fairly numerous in the flowering 
scrubs (in the Stirling Ranges). They differ slightly in colour from the Swan 
River Bird,” and later that they were common in the Wongan Hills district. 
Campbell and Barnard, reporting upon birds of N. Queensland, wrote: 
“ The various races of this plain coloured but sweet songster have perplexed 
ornithologists much. There was even a difference in two males which we 
collected in the same locality, but they were smaller than southern males. Again 
the males are the larger of the two sexes, and possess more greyish heads than 
the females.” 
Later, Campbell concluded : “A review of a large series of this widely 
distributed species makes it appear that, at most, there are only three races 
—eastern {ocularis), western ( indistincta ) and northern {rufescens), with winch 
Mathews’s two other subs.— perplexa and media —are apparently synonymous.” 
As a matter of fact, long series show very many subspecies as was first noted 
by me in 1912. 
When I prepared my “ Reference List ” in 1912 I ranged this species 
under five subspecies, giving a note of explanation which may be here quoted: 
“ Note.—Gould described two species of Glyciphila (?) in the Synops. Birds 
Ausir., pt. iv., App. 6, 1838, as follows:— 
G. (?) ocularis Van Diemen’s Land 
G. (?) subocularis New South Wales 
“ Later he stated that G. ocularis came from New South Wales and G. sub¬ 
ocularis he attempted to apply to a bird he had received from the north-west 
coast. Most writers have indicated their belief that subocularis was based 
on a young specimen of ocularis, wdfile as many recognised that the north¬ 
west bird was separable. The accumulation of large series of tins bird proves 
that many races can be differentiated, and also that G. subocularis was 
founded on a young bird, and that in view of the indeterminate locality it is 
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