434 NoVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXV. J916. 



FUETHER NOTES OX PIGEONS. 

 By ERNST HARTERT, Ph.D. 



The forms of Phlegoenas crinigera. 



THE Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxi. p. 588 gives as the distribution of Phlegoenas 

 crinigera " Mindanao, Basilan, and Sulu Island (?)," but the author had 

 only, besides some without locality, skins from Mindanao. McGregor's Manual 

 of Philippine Birds, 1909-1910, gives, on page 81, as the habitat Basilan, Leyte, 

 Mindanao, and Samar ; he apparently examined specimens from Basilan only, 

 where he had collected, while he had neither Whitehead's Leyte example, nor 

 those collected on ^lindanao by Everett and Steere, nor Bourn's and Worcester's 

 from Samar. 



The original specimen of Hombron and Jaequinot, collected during the 

 " Voyage au Pole Sud," was supposed to have come from the " Solo " Islands, 

 but this was probably an error, and I regard as the original locality Mindanao, 

 as had evidently been done silently bj' Salvadori, Bourns and Worcester, and 

 McGregor. Of the thus typical P. crinigera crinigera from Mindanao I have 

 examined half a dozen in the British Museum and one at Tring. Theii- wings 

 measure : o" 160-107'5, $ 158, 160 mm. 



Compared with these the wings of Basilan sj^eciniens measure : 1 " o " 153, 

 4 " ? " 145, 147, 145, 152 mm. (1^, 2 $ in Tring, 2 $ British Museum). McGregor 

 gives for Basilan S 153, ? 145, average of seven only 146 mm. It is thus 

 obvious that the Basilan race is smaller. In colour it agrees with Mindanao 

 specimens, the red of the hairy blood-patch on the crop varymg, but generally 

 the rump is a little lighter. I name the Basilan form : 



Phlegoenas crinigera basilanica subsp. nov. 



Type: rj ad. Basilan, ii. 1898. William Doherty leg. "Iris rich royal 

 purple. Bill black, lower mandible ochreous below. Feet beet-red, posteriorly 

 whitish." 



I have only been able to examine the single male obtained by John White- 

 head from Leyte, but, reluctantly as I describe subspecies from single specimens, 

 I must do so in this case, for the following reasons : 



This bird is smaller than P. crinigera crinigera from Mindanao, and no 

 bigger than P. crinigera basilanica, its wing measuring 153 mm. The sides of 

 the crop region are bluish grey, with some greenish gloss, the greyish colour 

 extending laterally an inch farther down than the blood-patch and showmg 

 also below it. The blood-patch — if it can be said so from one skin — is much 

 smaller and darker, and the blue-grey tips to the greater upper wing-coverts 

 are smaller. Leyte lies to the north of Mindanao, Basilan south. I name the 

 Leyte form : 



Phlegoenas crinigera leytensis subsp. nov. 

 Type : o% mountains in the north of Leyte, 3. viii. 1896. John Whitehead 

 leg. No. B. 834. (Tring Museum.) 



