( 238 ) 



Zosterops obstinatus spec. uov. 



Type : Ijixtjan, September ls97, 4000 feet bigh, Dohert)' coll. Unfortunately I 

 have before me only two examples from Batjan and three from Ternate, collected by 

 Doherty, and they are all bad skins. Nevertheless, they show very distinctly that 

 the Ternate bird is not quite the same as the Celebensian Z. intermedia. It differs 

 from the latter in having a greener shade on the upperside, the rmup and forehead 

 less yellowish, and much darker and more olive flanks and sides of the body. 

 Geographically one would naturally expect the Ternate and Batjan birds to be the 

 same, or nearly the same. Owing to the bad state of our skins I cannot say con- 

 fidently whether they are the same or not, but I cannot at present separate them, 

 though our s])ecimens from Batjan seem to be darker above and on the flanks again 

 than those from Ternate. AVhy the Ternate bird was always confounded with 

 Z. intermedia is strange to me, as so many other forms were separated on account 

 of differences not a bit more striking. Probably a number of these forms will be 

 united into one species by future workers, and kept only snb-specifically distinct, 

 but it will require much study to do so properly, and as long as we do not lump 

 them at present, we will advance our knowledge and pave the way for the future. 



4(5. Criniger mysticalis ^Vall. 



Evidently frequent at Kayeli and Mount 3Iada. The female is smaller than 

 the male, wing c? about 110, ? about loO mm. The name was originally spelt 

 as above. 



47. Pitta rubrinucha Wall. 

 Two males of this beautiful Fitta were obtained on Mount Mada. 



48. Phyllergates everetti dumasi Hart. 

 {Bull. B. 0. Club VIII. p. 31 [189U]). 



Differs from Fhjllergates eteretti of Flores in being slightly more brownish on 

 the uape and less greenish, more rufous-olive on the back, ami in having no 

 indication of white on the outer rectrix. Wing 40 to 40 mm. 



Four specimens were obtained on Mount Mada. 



The distribution of Plii/llergates so far east is of the utmost interest. The 

 Catalogue of Birds (VII. l<s^3) knew it only from India, Java and Sumatra, then 

 Whitehead discovered it in Borneo and on the Philippines ; Jleyer and Wiglesworth 

 described one from Celebes, Everett sent it from Flores, and now it appears in the 

 Moluccan Islands. 



49. Androphilus disturbans sp. nov. 

 Mr. Dumas shot on Mount Mada a bird which he marked " ? ," and which had 

 a chocolate-brown iris. It is probably (judging from the spotted appearance of the 

 lower throat and breast) an immature bird. It has ten rectrices, very strong feet, 

 and belongs evidently to the genus Androphilus, so far only known from high 

 elevations on Borneo and Celebes. The bird before me is above very deep olive- 

 brown. The underside is yellowish buff, lower throat with brown tips to the 

 feathers, chest strongly washed with rufous brown, abdomen, thighs and under tail- 

 coverts brown, under wing-coverts spotted buffy and brown. The specimen is not 



