( 236 ) 



gi-asses, fibres, and twiglets, auJ are outside covered with dry leaves of different sorts. 

 The cup is somewhat shallow, being about 30 to 40 mm. deep, the whole nest being 

 outside about 90 to 100 mm. broad, 50 to 60 high, while the cup measures 

 65 across on the top. The eggs, of four clutches, are two in each nest. They are 

 elliptical ovate, and resemble very much some eggs of the genus Lanivs, especially 

 those of some of the larger grey shrikes. The ground-colour is whitish or cream- 

 colour, the blotches dark brown and pale grey, generally more numerous on the 

 thicker end. They measure 27 : 20, 256 : 18, 27-5 : 19, 27-5 : 191, 26-1 : 18, 

 25-9 : 17-7, 27-8 : 19, 285 : 19-3 mm. 



Eggs were found in October, November, and Decemlier. E. H. 



10. Pachycephala fortis trobriandi sulisp. nov. 



Two skins, cJ and ?, from Kiriwina, Trobriands, differ from F. forlis of 

 Fergusson in the following points : — 



1. The bill is longer. The culmen of the male is 26, that of the female 25 nitu. 

 long, while the culmen of the males from Fergusson is 22 and 23 mm. long, that of 

 ihe females from that island 22 and 21 mm. 



2. The wing is longer: 6 100, ? 96 mm. Females from Fergusson: wing, 88 

 and 90 ; males, 90 and 95. 



Coinciding with these differences, which are so slight that I regard them, with 

 due reserve, as of merely subsiiecific value for the present time, are obvious 

 differences in the structure of the nest and in the eggs. 



The nest is much larger outside, the cup decidedly deeper. The eggs (two in 

 number in each clutch) were found in March and June. The eggs are white, with 

 a faint creamy tinge, marked with a few very large blotches of deep rufous brown 

 or very deep brown, and some deeper-lying light-grey patches. They measure 

 25"3 : 21, 26'5 : 20'6, 26'1 : 20 mm., and look much more rounded than the majority 

 of P. fcrrtis from Fergusson. 



All these differences of nests and eggs may not be quite constant, but in any case 

 they are worth recording. 



It is remarkable that even the collector seems to have noticed differences in life 

 between the two forms, for on the labels of the nests and on the chip-boxes containing 

 the eggs different names are given, the Fergusson birds being called " Little 

 Brown Thrush," the Trobriand birds " Brown Thrush," and he believes them to be 

 different forms. E. II. 



11. Chibia carbonaria (S. Miill.). 



Fergusson Island. "Iris red." 



Canon Tristram has {Ibis, 1889, p. 556) described as a new species the Chibia 

 from Fergusson Island, and called it Ch. propinqua. His diagnosis is : " C. chibiae 

 luemostictae (Scl.) propinqua, sed differt maculis nitentibus colli antici imi et pectoris 

 sumnii valde angustioribus, et clongatis, neque, sicut in C. carbonaria, rotmidatis. 

 Statura sicut in C. laemosticta," and he adds: "The distinctions in this species are 

 more easily seen by comparison than recognised by description." I am sorry to say 

 that the skins collected by Mr. Meek on Fergusson Island do not agree with Canon 

 Tristram's .statement. They are, in my opinion, indistinguishaljle from C. carbonaria 

 of which I have a large series from Dutch, German, and British New Guinea for 

 comparison in the Tring Museum. The spots on the upi)er breast are in no way more 

 longitudinal or narrower than in a great many specimens of Chibia airbonaria, but 



