T 
RAVEN, 
although Rogers and others had pointed out that these birds were altogether 
different in habits, etc. From Point Cloates two birds, one 309, the other 
333, and from Ealgoorlie 343 and Carnarvon 304, are lumped so that by means 
of this an average is reached which does not show the facts in any way, but 
misleads the superficial student as it already has done. Having thus confused 
the matters at issue, Stresemann did not detail the bill lengths but simply 
lumped them as varying from 46-59, average 53*5 mm. 
Yet the facts seem clear that there are three species in Australia, a Northern, 
Central and Southern one. That they are species and not subspecies seems 
certain from the fact that they breed in the same localities, and do not inter¬ 
breed, and that they are recognisable by habits, notes and size. It is extra¬ 
ordinary that Palaearctic workers should dare to ignore the field-accounts of 
so many good Austrahan workers, and yet pretend to differentiate species 
of Palsearctic Tits which even the most careful student can easily confuse. 
Taking into consideration the whole of the facts and the opinions expressed 
by Ogfivie-Grant and Stresemann, I believe that the best course is to allow the 
forms as I arranged them in 1913, and solicit criticism from Australian orni¬ 
thologists themselves. I do not think that Palsearctic workers will do anything 
else except add confusion through their entire ignorance of local conditions. 
Students will persist in treating Australia as if it were a mere rock, 
lumping aU kinds of birds from hundreds of miles apart together and separating 
birds from small Molucca islands on a couple of specimens. The absurdity 
of such action should be evident to all, but Australians especially will reahse 
that more than one form of Crow can inhabit Australia, whatever Palsearctic 
“experts” may say to the contrary. 
I would therefore conservatively allow four subspecies of the Raven in 
order to interest Australians as follows :— 
Corvus coronoides coronoides Vigors and Horsfield. 
New South Wales. 
Of this Corvus mariance Mathews is cited as a synonym, but if it be shown 
that New South Wales birds differ, and that C. coronoides belongs to the 
Crow, then C. mariance becomes the name of the Raven again. It is 
somewhat peculiar that Stresemann aUowed this as distinct with such a 
restricted range when he was lumping birds from all over the Continent. 
Corvus coronoides mellori Mathews. 
Victoria, South Austraha; (?) Kangaroo Island. 
This was separated as smaller and this is admitted by Stresemann, 
although his average measurements are always wrong; in this case he 
includes a small bird from Laverton among the South Australian birds, 
and also the measurements of obviously immature specimens. 
VOL. xn. 
401 
