Vol. XXIV, pp. 41-42 February 24, 1911 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A NEW FANTAIL FROM THE CHATHAM ISLANDS. 



BY OUTRAM BANGS. 



Several years ago the Museum of Comparative Zoology received 

 from Mr. H. H. Travers a collection made in Snares, Auckland, 

 Chatham and Antipodes islands. It contained one skin of a 

 Rhipidura from the Chathams (probably Mangare, though the 

 label says merely Chatham Islands) that differs in several 

 respects from New Zealand specimens of Rhipidura flab ill if era 

 (GmeL). 



As this island form appears to be unnamed it may be known 



as — 



Rhipidura flabillifera penitus subsp. nov. 



Type from the Chatham Islands, No. 39,984, Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology, adult Q. Collected by II. II. Travers.* 



Characters. — Similar in general to true R. flabillifera (Gmel.) of New 

 Zealand, but tail longer and larger — each rectrice wider; two central 

 rectrices grayish or hoary black instead of brownish black and with a 

 white stripe 3 mm. wide fringing the inner web for the apical half of the 

 feather and joining the white tip which is more extensive. 



Measurements. — Type adult 9 : wing, 76; tail, 99; culmen, 8.5; tarsus, 

 19.5. In a series of six skins of true R. flabillifera from New Zealand of 

 which only two — a male and a female— had the sex determined by the 

 collector, the wing varies in length from 70 to 75, and the tail from 1)1 

 to !»4. 



* Unfortunately the skins we hart of Travers had no data other than locality and sex. 

 11— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. XXIV, 1911. (41) 



