REPORT ON THE BIRDS— ADMIRALTY ISLANDS. --'I) 



Habitat. — Ins. Admiralitatis. 



Obs. — Affinis Myzomela nigritce, sed crassitie majore, rostro longiore et ' subalaribus 

 aigris diversa. 



Two specimens of this apparently new Myzomela (491, 492) are in the collection. 

 The one described and figured (491) is marked " male, eyes hazel," and is evidently adult. 

 In the other (492), apparently young, the plumage is mixed with cinereous, the feet 

 not so dark, and the under surface of the wings more white. But the size alone is suffi- 

 cient to distinguish it from its Papuan representative. 



7. Calomis ijurpurciceps, Salvadori. 



Calornis, sp. inc., Scl., Proc. Zoo\. Soc, 1877, p. 554. 



Calornis purpureicejps, Salvad., Alt. R. Ace. Sc, Torino, vol. xiii. p. 535, 1878. 



463, male ; 464, male ; 465, male ; 466, female ; 467, female. 



[Eyes orange : stomachs contained seeds and grubs. This was, perhaps, the com- 

 monest bird at the Admiralty Islands.] 



Lord Tweeddale, who kindly examined these skins for me, wrote as follows : — " Nos. 

 463-466. The purple reflexions being restricted to the head, chin, and throat dis- 

 tinguishes these examples from all others known to me. They may belong to either 

 Calornis viridescens (Gray), Calornis gularis (Gray), or Calornis amboinensis (Gray), for I 

 do not possess typical examples ; but I believe that all these are little more than stages 

 of Calornis rnetallica. If they do not fall under either of these three titles, I think they 

 may be safely described and named, for their distinctive characters are well marked." 



In my report I did not venture to distinguish this bird as a distinct species, not 

 having available materials for a study of the difficult group to which it belongs. Pro- 

 fessor Salvadori, however, who, during a subsequent visit to London, had an opportunity 

 of examining the specimen, has described the species as new with the subjoined 

 diagnosis : — 



Nitidissime viridis, alis et cauda obscurioribus ; capite et gula tantum purpura- 

 scentibus ; rostro pedibusque nigris. 



Long. tot. O m , 190 ; al. O m , 108 ; caud. O m , 080 ; rostri 0™ 018 ; tarsi O m , 02-2. 



Habitat. — Ins. Admiralitatis. 



Professor Salvadori remarks that this species maybe distinguished from Calornis 

 rnetallica by its smaller dimensions, by the acuminated feathers of the anterior part of 

 the neck being much shorter, and by the purple reflexions being confined to the head, 

 chin, and throat. 



Lord Tweeddale was of opinion that No. 467 belonged to a distinct species, and thai 

 there might have been some error as regards its locality. But Mr Murray says this is 

 quite unlikely, and that that specimen also was certainly obtained on the Admiralty 

 Plands. 



