( 161 ) 



ON THE BIRDS OF SERMATTA, ONE OF THE SOUTH- 

 WEST ISLANDS. 



By ERNST HARTERT, Pn.D. 



IN Nov. Zool. 1904, pp. 174-221, I gave a list, of the birds collected by the late 

 H. Kiihn on the South-West Islands, and in Nov. Zool. 1906, pp. 288-304, 

 appeared a list of those sent from the islands of Babber and Luang, while the 

 larger island ol Scrraatta remained ornithologieally nnlvnowu. Shortly before his 

 untimely death (see Nov. Zool. 1907, p. 340) Kiihn sent his men to Sermatta, and 

 hereafter follows a list of the birds collected there. 



Only forty-four species are represented in this collection. Probably several 

 other species have been overloolied. Sermatta lies between Babber and Luang, 

 near to the latter, but far away from the former island. It appears to be barely 

 half the size of Babber, but is much larger than Luang. While we know eighty 

 species from Babber, only forty-seven altogether were sent from Luang. Generally, 

 the larger an island is, the more species it harbours, while the number of species 

 decreases more or less with size ; therefore, supjwsing that the forty-seven known 

 birds from I/Uang represent nearly all which are found there, the number of forty- 

 four species for Sermatta might perhaps be the majority of its bird-poj)nlatiou ; 

 but I cannot help thinking that an island like Sermatta must have more si)ecies. 

 There is no C'orvus, Pachijcephtla, Mi/zomela, or Dicaeum in tliis collection. 

 Naturally the birds of Sermatta agree on the whole with those of the neighbouring 

 western isles, while differing in some cases from those of Babber, and none of them 

 appears to be a peculiar form. Nevertheless the collection is a most interesting 

 one, as it fills a great want, since no species had hitherto been known from 

 Sermatta. 



We have now received fair collections from practically every island in the 

 long chain of the South- West Islands, and very little more can be expected from 

 there. The small island of Marsela, south of Babber, remains unexplored ; but 

 not much can be expected from there, although a Flycatcher, Zoisterops, or other 

 Passerine bird might be differentiated enough to distinguish it from all others. 



I am much obliged to Mr. Arthur Goodsou, who greatly assisted me during 

 this little work, which has been unduly delayed on account of pressure of other work 

 and long absences in Algeria. 



1. Megapodius duperreyii Less. & Garn. 

 Cf. Nov. Zool. 1906. p. 288. 



<?, Sermatta, 14 June 1900 (No. 1). 



" Iris brick-red, feet vermilion, bill ochreons." 



2. Ptilinopus cinctus lettiensis Schl. 



Cf. Nor. Zool. 1904. p. 178. 



3 (J<J, 2 ¥ ? ad., 6 ¥ juv., Sermatta, 19-23 June 1906 (Nos. 2-8). 

 " Iris cofifee-brown, feet violet, bill sulphur-yellow." 



