THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
the nest was found to contain a pair of eggs. Later, a male perched near us, 
and was so intent on probing and examining the broken end of a dry limb that 
he took no notice of our presence. Soon after, Mr. McLennan, by imitating 
the loud insistent whistle of the male, succeeded in calling up three females, 
and for an instant a beautiful male with rustling plumage ; they were, however, 
shy birds even here, where they had not been molested, and soon vanished 
into the recesses of the shrub. . . . Young birds were found in a nest on 
the 9th November. . . . The recently hatched young are fed upon insects, 
grasshoppers, and beetle remains being found in one that accidentally fell 
from a nest and was killed.” 
When this “ magnificent ” species was sent to Gould by MacgiUivray 
from Cape York he identified it with the New Guinea species, and it was so 
regarded until 1871, twenty years later, when Elliot, monographing the group, 
separated it under the name Ptiloris alherti, which he found upon the label 
of the Australian birds in the British Museum. He observed that iilr. G. R. 
Gray had differentiated the form and given it the above name, but had never 
published nor figured it. He, however, used Gray’s name in preference to 
giving it a new name. 
Gray replied that he did not figure it as it already had been figured by 
Gould and, moreover, he did not agree with the publication of the name, as 
he did not think the differences he had first observed were valid and therefore 
he had sank his unpublished MS. name as a synonym of the typical form. 
Consequently the name alherti was invalid from its introduction by Elliot, but 
the error was only corrected in 1922. 
MacgiUivray sent me specimens from the Claudie River for description and 
published this note: “In Mr. McLennan’s opinion, the note of this species 
on the Claudie differs remarkably from its note as heard at Cape York. The 
Cape York bird, for the greater part of the year, gives voice to two loud, sharp 
whistles. During the breeding-season there are three loud, clear whistles and 
a long-drawn, diminisliing note, -w'hereas with the Claudie bird the note is the 
same throughout the year, and strikingly different from that of the Cape York 
bird.” 
I named the Claudie River bird, and more recently the Cape York 
form, so that the names of the Australian forms are now: 
MathewsieUa magnifim claudia (Mathews). 
Claudie River district. North Queensland. 
MathewsieUa magnifica yorki (Mathews). 
Cape York district. North Queensland. 
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