NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXI. 1014. 283 



For more correct and more modern identifications and nomenclature should chiefly 

 be consulted the volumes of the Cntalogm of Birds in the British Museum, and 



Reicheuow, " Vogel der Bismarckinselu," in Mitt. Zool. Sammlung Mas. Berlin, 

 i. 3, 1899, pp. 1-106. 



1. Anas superciliosa pelewensis Hartl. & Finsch. 



[Anas superciliosa Gmelin, Si/st. Nat. i. 2. p. 537 (1789 — " Habitat in Nova Seelaudia." Ex, 



Latham !^] 

 Anas supcrritiosa var. pelewensis Hartlaub & Finsch, Proc. Zmd. Soc. London, 1872, p. 108 (Pelew 



Islands ; separated on account of smaller size). 

 .inas superciliosa i>elewensis Rothsch. & Hartert, Nov. Zool. 1905, p. 248. 



2 ?? ad., 9. X. 1013. "Iris brown; feet dull pale clay-yellow; bill slate 

 and black."' (Nos. 0229, 0230.) 



Wings of both, 223, 224 mm. 



With regard to the differences of the smaller form we can only repeat what we 

 have said in 1905. The two birds from Manns certainly belong to the smaller race, 

 from their size and generally dark colour. This race has wings from 220 to 

 242 mm. in length. 



Mr. Mathews {Austral Avian Record, i. 2, p. 33, 1912) has separated a duck 

 from AVest Australia under the name of " A. s. rogersi.'" His diagnosis is : 

 " Differs from A. s. superciliosa in its larger size : wing 258 mm. Type Augusta, 

 West Australia, No. 10,377. Range West Australia, Northern Territory." There 

 is no indication how many specimens the author examined, but as he gives only one 

 measurement (258 mm. !) one must suppose that he had very few, if not only one 

 bird — sex not stated. If he had measured a series, he could hardly have given 

 one measure only in mm. We find tliat it is difficult to discover many specimens 

 which agree to the mm. in their wing-measurement. 



In 1913, "List of tiie Birds in Australia," p. 91, in which the method of tiie 

 Handlist of Biitish Birds in quoting binomial names for each " species " or chain 

 of subspecies is adopted, Mr. Mathews accepts A. s. rogersi as the only form of the 

 genus Anas occurring in Australia, and gives as its range Australia and Tasmania. 



We should not object to this, and would have to accept the name, if it was 

 certain that Australian specimens were larger than those from New Zealand. 



Unfortunately the wing varies in New Zealand as well as in Australia from 

 245 (only one) and 250 to 270 mm., and Mr. Mathews' one measurement is thus 

 far below the largest one found in New Zealand, and not even larger than the 

 average in the Tring Museum. 



Praiseworthy and scientific as Mr. Mathews' principles of studying closely 

 allied forms undoubtedly are, his method of comparing and measuring appears to 

 be wrong, as applied to the present case. 



2. Charadrius dominicus fiilvus Gm. 



Clmrailriasfaloas Gmelin, Sy$l. Nat. i. 2. p. 687 (1789 — Tahiti, Society Islands). 

 (? ? Manus, 12. x. 1913. (Nos. 6247, 6248). 



3. Numenius phaeopus variegatus (Scop.). 



Tantalus carieijatus Scopoli, Del. Fine. F:iun. Insuhr., fasc. ii. p. 92 (1780 — Luzon). 



? Manus, 27. ix. 1913. (No. 0173). 



The collectors of the " Challenger" had already obtained speciiaens. 



