——. S) 
NOTES ON A COLLECTION OF BIRDS FROM BANTON. 
By Ricnarp C, MCGREGOR, 
Banton is a small island situated some 16 miles directly north of 
Tablas. It has an area of 11 square miles. It is of volcanic origin 
and seems to be surrounded on all sides by deep water. Its surface is 
quite broken, the highest hills reaching an altitude of about 900 feet. 
Practically all of its forest land has been more or less completely cleared. 
There are numerous coconut groves on the island, and there is also an 
abundance of low scrub with occasional large trees, more or less com- 
pletely isolated. 
As no ornithological collector had ever before visited Banton, Andres 
Celestino, an assistant collector of natural history specimens in _ the 
Bureau of Science, was sent to that island in July, 1905. He collected 
during the period between July 23 and August 12, obtaining specimens 
of twenty-one species of birds. 
Of these, Otus romblonis may or may not be of significance. At 
present we have too little knowledge of the distribution of this species to 
draw any conclusions from this occurrence. Ceyx bournsi, while un- 
known from the islands north of Banton, is so widely distributed that 
its presence there is of little importance. The presence of Loriculus 
philippensis, Tole philippensis, and Zosterops meyeni indicates a close 
relationship between Banton and the Luzon-Marinduque group. 
LIST OF BIRDS FROM BANTON. 
Streptopelia dussumieri (Temm.). 
Two specimens of Dussumier’s dove. 
Chalcophaps indica (Linn.). 
A female specimen of the Indian bronze-winged dove. 
Otus romblonis McGregor. 
Three small owls, two males and a female, from Banton Island do not differ 
from the type of the above species. The male has not been described but it is 
exactly like the female in coloration. Number 11046 in the Bureau of Science 
collection is hereby designated as the male type. 
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