( 16 ) 



coloiation, but thev are certainly nearest to P. filii/era, from which they will 

 jirobiibly dift'er in some sliglit points only. 



1'. visi 6 ad. (tyi^e) : Bill black. Upperside greenish olive, strongly washed 

 with rufous on the interscapulium, back, and rump, but strongest on the inter- 

 scapuliuni. Keniiges deep brown, outer webs narrowly bordered with rusty olive, 

 inner webs liroadly margined with rufous, specially towards the base. Wing-coverts 

 rufous brown, margined with rusty rufous. Under wing-coverts light rufous. 

 Kectrices deep brown, narrowly margined with olive on the outer webs, broadlv 

 bordered and tipped with rufous. Under the eye a short whitish line. Ear- 

 coverts greyish, bordered above with an often indistinct line of whitish, below 

 with a long golden-yellow line. Chin and throat pale brownish grey ; rest of under 

 surface rufous brown, with a greenish olive wash on the breast, and without anv 

 distinct spots. Nape generally with some pale greyish spots. Total length about 

 180 mm., a. 92 — 97, c. 80 — 85. Salvadori's Xaiabui specimens have the wing mostly 

 a little longer. t)ld skins are not so bright as our fresh ones. 



It is not impossible, of course, that all these forms may one day, when a large 

 material comes to hand, be regarded as subs))ecies only, but at present they must 

 most decidedly be kept separate. I am obliged to Mr. Ogilvie Grant, who went over 

 our birds with me in the British Museum, and who is likewise of the opinion that 

 Plilotis filigera, F. chrysotis, and P. visi, the last of which stands somewhat in 

 the middle between the two others, are three different species. 



I named the new form after Mr. de Vis, of the Queensland Museum, whose 

 different articles on the collections made during 8ir William Macgregor's expeditions 

 have greatly enlarged our knowledge of the birds of British New Guinea. E. H. 



Melirrliophetes belfordi de Vis. 



S. Kafa district, between Mount Alexander and Mount Bellani)-, oUOO to (iUOO 

 feet, October 1895. " Eye brown, bill dark brown, feet grey." This specimen agrees 

 well with the description of Mr. de Vis. E. H. 



Melirrhophetes ochromelas batesi Sharpe. 



One adult specimen from the Mailu .Mountains. The Melirrhophetes from the 

 mountains of B)ritish New Guinea was named M. batesi by Sharpe, but when he did 

 so he did not have a specimen of AJ. ochromelas to compare, but had to go merely by 

 the description of Meyer and Gould's figm'e of that sjiecies. Mr. Grant and 1 have 

 comjiared the two forms, of which there are now specimens both at Tring and in the 

 British Museum ; and we did not find any other tangible difference than the colour 

 of the stripe above and behind the bare space surrounding the eye and the tips of 

 the upper ear-coverts. These are pale buff in M. ochromelas from Arfak, and rufous 

 fawn-colour in M. batesi. Perhaps the breast and abdomen are also a shade darker in 

 M. ochromelas, but it requires a series of fresh specimens to decide whether that has 

 any constancy. It is very doubtful to me whether these slight differences will be 

 found to be constant when some series from the countries between Arfak and the 

 Owen Stanley Mountains come to hand, and the safest course seems to treat these 

 forms as subspecies, thus recording the fact that the forms from the extreme points 

 of their distribution are slightly different ; while we may take it for granted that 

 intermediate forms will be found. E. H. 



