Vol. XXIV, pp. 23-24 February 24, 1911 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A NEW BELL-BIRD FROM AUCKLAND ISLAND. 

 BY OUTRAM BANGS. 



Among the birds the Museum of Comparative Zoology received 

 from Mr. H. H. Travers was one skin of an adult male Bell- 

 Bird from Auckland Island, which upon comparison proves to 

 be so different from Anthornis m.elanura (Sparrm.) of New 

 Zealand or A. melanocephala Gray of the Chatham Islands that 

 it, as well as its two congeners, must be given specific rather 

 than subspecific rank. Upon inquiry I found that the IT. S. 

 National Museum had one adult male from Auckland Island 

 from the same source as ours, and this together with their 

 entire series of A. melanura and A. melanocephala was kindly 

 sent me by Dr. Chas. VV. Richmond, acting Curator of Birds. 

 The two specimens exactly match and arc not approached by 

 any individual variation among skins from New Zealand or 

 the Chathams. 



The new bird may be known as— 



Anthornis incoronata sp. now 



Type from Auckland Island, No. 40, COS, Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology, adult d\ Collected by H. H. Travers. 



Characters. — Similar in general to A. melanura (Sparrm.) of New 

 Zealand and A. melanocephala <Jray of the Chatham Islands, and about 

 intermediate in size — larger than the former, smaller than the latter; 

 differing in color from both in the adult male (the female I have not 

 seen) having the head almost without darker metallic gloss, — a faint 

 metallic violet is just perceptible in a very narrow frontal band and 

 slightly so on the ear coverts, the rest of the head is glossy oil-green, 

 shining in certain lights with almost golden reflections. In the large 

 Chatham Islands bird the whole head is dark, shining metallic-blue, in 



<5— Proc. Bioi,, Soc, Wash,, Vol. XXIV, lull, (28) 



