( 381 ) 



If Dr. Sharpe were right in sejiarating what he calls pulchellus and sliehae, 

 then his judchellus would have to receive a new name, as his shebae are identical 

 with typical pulchellus. This is qnite evident from Ramsay's descriptions, most of 

 all from his first statement, that his birds fully agreed with the figure on Plate IV. 

 of Vol. I. of the Catalogue of Birds. All these supposed differences, however, 

 are of no consequence, as shown by our series and that in the British Museum, 

 there being specimens fully intermediate between the dark- and light-bellied ones, 

 and there being light and dark ones from Gnadalcanar as well as from Florida. 

 There is, moreover, no sense in the supposed geographical distribution of the two 

 forms, if they were diff'erent, which they are not. 



We have received adult /t'wafes from Gnadalcanar. Their iris is marked as 

 reddish brown (not as yellow !) feet and cere orange, bill black. Wing about 212 

 to 220 mm. 



The young female from Florida, doubtfully mentioned as albogularis {anted, 

 p. 189) belongs also to pulchrllus, and not to alhogalaris, the young of which 

 have much darker heads and backs, and peculiarly light rnfous tips to the wings, 

 merging into cinnamon. 



Speaking of this group of hawks, we may as well mention that the characters 

 said to distinguish A. dampieri from the Bismarck-Archipelago do not hold good 

 at all, and that we are convinced that A. dampieri will prove to be indistinguishable 

 from etorques ; of course the iris is said to be brown, while that of the adult 

 etorques is yellow, but this is also a character of doubtful value, as all immature 

 etorques have it also brosvn. 



Astur pulcheUus is a very small representative of etorques, the wing of the 

 female being about as long as that of the 7nale of etorques. Our specimens of 

 etorques, especially the males, from the D'Entrecasteaux and Trobriaud islands are 

 somewhat larger and more powerful than those from New Guinea (Papua) itself, 

 but there is so much variation, that we hesitate to separate these forms for 

 the present. 



44. Ninox granti Sharpe. 



{P.Z.S. 1888 p. 183 : Gnadalcanar). 



A fine series from Gnadalcanar to hand. " Iris yellow, feet straw-yellow, bill 

 of a greenish-yellow horn-colour." There is a certain amouut of variation in this 

 owl, probably due to age. The head and neck and upper wing-coverts are spotted 

 with frequent bar-like bufi' spots in some, while these spots are sparse and almost 

 absent in others. The light bars on the tail are more or less develojied. The 

 underside is either more whitish, more rufous, or more brown in general appearance, 

 the face sometimes more whitish, sometimes more black. Wings 180 to 185 mm. 



The young is covered with a deep greyish chocolate down, round the chin is a 

 white area, and on the breast and abdomen are creamy white cross-bars, more or 

 less concealed. 



45. Ptilinopus solomonensis Gray. 



Oat female only. Comparison of males desirable. 



46. Ptilinopus superbus (Temm. & Knip). 



Four specimens. They are not at all smaller than usual, and we cannot see 

 that they differ from typical superbus from other islands. (See anted, p. 189.) 



