THE BIRDS OE AUSTRALIA. 
new to me. Such names are usually very local in the colonies. Neither nests 
nor eggs were ever found by me, but on September 5th, 1911, I shot a bud 
on the Lyndon River that was certainly breeding. Both sexes utter the peculiar 
notes (song). This species does not occur m heavy timbered south-west; it 
is a north and mid-west bird, coastal Gascoyne and North-west Cape. In the 
summer of 1911 I saw a Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater in my paddock at Broome 
HjU and seemed it, while there were many feeding in an orchard and picking 
fruit in a neighbour’s orchard at the same time. He shot one and sent it to 
me to loiow what it was, never having seen the birds before. T his seems to 
be a record for the south-Avest.” 
Whitlock wrote from the East Mm-chison: “ Very common on migration 
in July and August, but comparatively few remained to breed. I found a 
very pretty nest on 20th July, with one fresh egg. At Bore Well, the fust 
week in September, I found nests containing young just ready to fly, but at 
Milly Pool on 24th September I obtained a pair of incubated eggs. This nest 
was in a bunch of mistletoe.” 
No subspecies of this bird was distinguished until I prepared my 
“ Reference List ” in 1912. Previously, Campbell had named a young bird 
from the North-west Cape district as a distinct species on account of its 
smaller size and yellow cheek-spines, and then when he received the adult 
he suggested that there might be other differences to validate his name. As 
a matter of fact there is a recognisable subspecies from the North-west Cape 
district wliich will bear Campbell’s name, but aU the describe!’ himself 
could write about it twenty years after he had named it was “ Western birds 
are shghtly smaller (Aving 107 mm.) than typical or eastern ones (Aving 113 mm.).” 
When series are criticised it is a someAvhat variable species in narroAV 
limits, the subspecies being separable but not strikingly different when smgle 
birds are examined. In 1912 I separated 
Acanihagenys rufogularis rufogularis Gould. 
South Queensland, NeAV South Wales. 
Acanihagenys rufogularis cygnus Mathews. 
“Differs from A. r. rufogularis in its darker coloration above and below, especially 
noticeable on the breast. SAvan Island, Victoria.” 
Victoria, South Austraha. 
Acanihagenys rufogularis flavacanthus Campbell 
North-west Austraha. 
Acanihagenys rufogularis lerrilori Mathews. 
“ Differs from A. r. flavacanlhus in its paUid coloration, almost white 
under-surface, especially noticeable on the throat. Alexandra, N.T.” 
Northern Territory. 
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