(451 ) 



20. Otidiphaps cervicalis Rams. 

 Cf. Nov. Zool. 1901. p. 132. 



S ¥ Avera, 5, 6. iii. 03. (Nos. A 364, 374.) 



1 ?, Upper Aroa River, 27. i. 05. (No. 197.) 



21. Hypotaenidia brachypus alberti subsp. nov. 



2 cfcJ, 4 ? ? ad., 1 ? juv., 2 pull., Owgarra, Angabunga River, February 

 1905. (Nos. A 2045, 2051-2054, 2060, 2071, 2075, 2081.) 



" Iris chocolate-brown ; bill dark horn-brown, reddish at base ; feet fleshy grey." 

 Type <? ad., 6. ii. 1905. (No. A 2051.) 



Top of head, hind-neck, and anterior portion of back bright chestnut, rest 

 of back black with broad brown borders and more or less nnmerous white 

 lateral spots to the feathers. The long and soft scapulars black, with wavy bars 

 of white ; secondaries and greater upper wing-coverts similar, but generally with 

 more or less olive-brown edges ; primaries blackish brown, with a few white 

 speckles to the edges of the outer webs. Lesser wing-coverts olive-brown ; throat 

 dirty or creamy white; sides of head, jugulum and breast slaty grey; rest of 

 abdomeu and flanks dull black, with numerous narrow white bars ; under tail- 

 coverts black with wide buff tips and a few buff bars. Under wing-coverts dark 

 slate-colour with narrow white edges. Winy; in the adult males 93"5 — 95, in the 

 females 93—90 ; bill 26—30-5 ; tail 38—40 ; metatarsus 30— 31-5 mm. Females 

 similar to males, but apparently the abdomen more whitish in the middle, the 

 bars a little wider. The younger bird is more olive above, the breast lighter 

 grey with a rusty tinge. The pullus is covered with glossy black down, and 

 after this first downy stage follows one in which the upper surface is covered 

 with dull black feathers, while the underside is slate, whitish along the middle. 



This most interesting new form differs from Hypotaenidia brachypus exsul 

 Hart, of Flores {Nov. Zool. 1898. p. 50) in the extent of the bright chestnut 

 colour of the head, which reaches to the anterior part of the interscapnlium, the 

 shorter wing and more regularly barred larger wing-coverts. This last character 

 is perhaps somewhat doubtful, as they are less barred in one of our females of 

 H. b. alberti, and as the type and unique specimen of H. b. exsul is evidently 

 somewhat immature. 



H. b. exsul differs very considerably from 11. brachypus brachypus in the 

 following characters : the crown is uniform, without black spots, the rufous-chestnut 

 of the crown extends farther to the back, the back is darker, throat more whitish, 

 size smaller. It is, indeed, doubtful if it is a subspecies, but we believe this 

 is correct, and it certainly expresses the close relationship of these forms if we 

 treat them trinomially. 



This is a most valuable addition to the Papuan fauna. 



22. Rallicula forbesi Sharpe. 

 Cf. Nov. Zool. 1901. p. 142. 



4 <$ <$, 2 ¥ ?, Avera, Aroa River, January, February, March, .June L903. (Nos. 

 A 34, 111, 185, 186, 470, 581.) 



2 di, 1 ¥,1 pull., Owgarra, Angabunga liiver, November 1904, February 

 1905. (Nos. A 1852, 1853, 2079, 2080.) 



