ducing the cry "More Pork." Now, the Owl's cry sounds like "Who" repeated rapidly about eight times. The Podargus strigoides is the bird which calls "Cuckoo," and which the early settlers thought sounded like the words "More Pork"; it should be so written, not "Mopoke," which is meaningless.—I am, &c., Eidsvold, Queensland, March, 1913. THOS. L. BANCROFT.
[Regarding Australian Magpies, ornithologically they have been placed in the Sub-Order Acromyodi, or "Singing Birds." Ornithologists from other lands, who have travelled, state that the Magpie is one of the finest feathered songsters of the world. The other points raised by Dr. Bancroft are published for whom they may concern. No sound field observer admits that the call of the small brown Owl is produced by the Frogmouth (Podargus), whether the sound be "Buck-buck," "Boo-book," "Who-who," "Mo-poke," or even " Cuc-koo." The sound varies according to distance. Ask such an observer as Mr. E. M. Cornwall, Mackay, Queensland, who, by cleverly mimicking the calls, in many districts, has invariably brought the Boobook Owl, and not a Podargus, into the tree overhead.—Eds.]
THE R.A.O.U. "CHECK-LIST.
To the Editors of "The Emu."
Dear Sirs,—After carefully going through the R.A.O.U. "Check-list," I agree that it involved much time and forethought on the part of the compilers. I do not consider that the "Checklist" was adopted by the ornithologists of Australia, because the members who attended the Tasmanian session did not fairly represent Australian ornithologists. After the list was accepted I spoke to several of the members, and they told me they did not know what they were voting for; and others said—"We are tired of being chopped about from one list to another; anything will do as long as it is a fair list." I cannot see for a moment how the list can stand when it is built up on such an unsafe basis as John Gould's nomenclature. Another thing, what right has anyone to draw a line at Gould and say, "That is the limit," especially when we consider that Australian ornithology is but in its infancy, and the best of Australian ornithologists know little more than the ABC of it? How can a list stand when it contains so many very shaky sub-species which are called species? Take, for instance, two at random, like Zosterops halmaturina and Petroica campbelli. It is a pity all this time and energy should be wasted, for wasted it is, when the R.A.O.U. "Check-list," in its conservative way, has tabooed trinomials in the face of the ornithological world having accepted them.
There are many other weak points in the list which could be remedied, but the foundations will not warrant the repair.—I am, &c., S. A. WHITE.
Wetunga (S.A.), 9/6/13.
[The above letter has been referred to me by the editors for
