( 353 ) 



11. Charadrius dominicus fulvus (Gm.). 



Charadritisf ulcus Gmelin, Si/st. Nat. i. 2, p. 687 (17811 — Tahiti). 

 1 ? ad., 9. iii. 1908. (No. 3960.) 



12. Heteractitis incanus incanus (Gm.). 



Scolnpu..r iiiruna Gmelin, Sysl. Xal. i. -', p. ('i.>S (17>i'.i — Eimeo and Palmenstoii Islands). 

 1 cJ, 2 ? ?, 6, 7, 10. iii. 1908. (Nos. :5948, :3951, 3999.) 



13. Tringoides hypoleucos hypoleucos (L.). 



Tr'niija Iii//)ijleuros Liuuaeus, Si/st. Nal. ed. .\. p. 149 (17o.S — ■' Habitat in Europe "). 



1 c?, 4 ¥ ?. (Nos. 3930, .3902, 3972, 3990, 399S.) 



14. Dupetor flavicoUis woodfordi (Grant). 



[Ardeajiavlcollis Latham, Ind. Oni. ii. p. 701 (1700 — India).] 



Ardeirulla woodfordi Grant, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1888, p. 202 (G uadalcanar). 



Erijthrophiiijj: woodfordi Sharps, Cat. B. Bril. ifm. xxvi. p. 252, pi. iv. (18'J8— " Solomon Islands"). 



1 (? ad., 1 ?, 5, 13. iii. 190s. S: " Iris hazel ; bill black above and liorn-colonr 

 below; feet black." ? : " Iris yellow; bill brown above, light horii-colonr beneath ; 

 feet brownish horn-colour." (Nos. 3939, 3981.) 



The female aj;'rees with the above descriptions, the male was hitherto nuknown. 

 The adnlt mule (liU'ers from tliat of Dupetor flarkoLUa iieaophilus'hj almost com- 

 pletely wanting the broad creamy white margins to the elongated feathers of the 

 chest, and the abdomen and flanks appear slightly more greyish ; the back and 

 scapulars are also slightly blacker. 



Dr. Sharpe has placed wootlfordi in a new genus, which he called Eri/throphot/x, 

 founding tlie latter on supposed did'ereat proportions between the middle toe and 

 tarsns. It is true that woodfordi has a slightly longer tarsus, e.Kceeding the middle 

 toe and claw by about 1 cm., while \a JiacicoU/.s and the other allied forms it is 

 about equal. This, however, to our mind, is nothing more than a very good sub- 

 specific character. We are convinced that Diipi'tor ^/(amcoUis, goiildi, nesophilus, 

 and woodfordi are geographical forms of one s|)ecies, as the males — and in moSt 

 cases the females as well — differ very slightly from each other. 



Dr. Sharpe, in the Cat. B. Brit. Mas. vol. xxvi., was evidently misled by 

 having a young blackish bird and a young rufous bird, both labelled as males, 

 from which he concluded that a black and a red species occurred side by side on the 

 Moluccan Islands. From Meek's discovery of the adult c? of woodfordi we must 

 conclude that the two Moluccan birds are also sexes of one form. In view of 

 the diiiiculty in sexing accurately young birds, the fact that these 3'onng birds are 

 of different colours is no proof to the contrary; it only goes to show that either 

 the young are se^fually different, like the old birds, or that the black specimen is 

 older than the red one. We therefore consider that the birds placed in Dupetor 

 and Krifthrophoi/j:, and treated as six species by Dr. Sharpe, are really all referable 

 to two sjjecies, one of which can be divided into the following geographical forms : 



Dupetor flavicoUis flavicollis (Lath.). 



India to China, Philip|)iues, Greater Sniida Lslands. 



cJ characterised by chestnut spots on chin, throat, and forencck ; ? very much 

 browner, especially on the under surface, dark spots on tlirout anil foreueck almost 

 entirely chestnut. 



