NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXV. 1918. 317 



Marsh-tits (Marsh- and Willow-tit), which have been united for so many years, 

 more so than the two Tree Creepers of Central Europe {Certhia jamiliaris and 

 hrachydactyla) , and as much as the two Cakimoherpe {i.e. stre2Kra and iKilustris). 

 In fact, the only difference which we have found between the males is, that the 

 male of M. rubecula has the lores deep grey or slate-colour, that of concinna has 

 them velvety black, and the lores are in the latter connected by a narrow black 

 Une across the forehead, just above the bill, while this line is not conspicuously 

 developed in 31. rubecula. Moreover, the bill is generally \vider in rubecula, 

 narrower in concinna. There is apparently no difference at all between the 

 females, except that there as well the bill is as a rule narrower in concinna, wider 

 in rubecula ; this difference in the biU is quite evident if good series of males 

 (and females as far as they are certain, i.e. coming from locaUties where only 

 one of the forms occur) are compared, but it is variable and not easily measured. 

 We agree with Mathews that Plutyrhynclios ruficollis Vieillot, Myiagra rubicoloides 

 Vig. & Horsf., and Myiagra plittnbea of the same authors, all from N.S. Wales, 

 are synonyms of rubecula, and to these we must add 31. rubecula ringwoodi Math., 

 as the supposed difference, i.e. " much greyer upper surface " does not hold 

 good. Mathews also described a 3Iyiugra rubecula yorhi, of which he thought 

 that it was smaller, wing 75 mm. This he described erroneously, as some Cape 

 York specimens are rather long- winged, with a wing of fuUy 80 mm., while many, 

 if not more than half the typical rubecula have wings no longer and sometimes 

 even shorter than 75 mm. Moreover, the type of 31. yorki (collected at Cape 

 York by A. S. Meek's brother-in-law Eichhorn on July 9th, 1898, No. 1900 of 

 the Meek collections) is a black-lored concinna ! It should, however, provision- 

 ally be kept separate, because it has the biU on the average wider tlian typical 

 concinna, and, as a rule, about as wide as in rubecula. At Cape York occur 

 also 31. rubecula with slate-grey lores, which we are not able to sejsaratc from 

 rubecula of New South Wales. The wings of the few males (two very worn ones 

 and three in fresh plumage) measure 75- to at least 78 mm. 31. rubecula melvil- 

 lensis and broomei Math, are concinna and, in our opinion, in no way separable. 



Then there is a form of M. rubecula from British New Guinea. We have of 

 it three males, one from Nicura (Lix coU.), one from the Aioa River (A. S. 

 Meek), one from the Kumusi River (A. S. Meek), and one female, and we have 

 seen two females in the British Museum. 



This form we must separate as a new subspecies. The lores are grey, even 

 lighter than in typical rubecula, in fact not much darker than the cro^vn, the 

 upperside a shade paler, especiaUy on the crown. Wings 71, 73, 74' 5 mm. The 

 female has the throat perhaps of a darker brown, the upperside rather pale, 

 wings 71, 72, 73'8 mm. We name this form : 



Myiagra rubecula papuana subsp. nov. 



Type in the Tring Museum, cJ ad., Kumusi River, North-Eastern British 

 New Guinea, 28.vii. 1907. A. S. Meek coU., No. 3322. 



The 3Iyiagra from Sudest and Rossel Islands have slate-coloured lores and 

 frontal line (not black as in concinna !), and the males are exactly like the latter, 

 except that the head, especially the throat, is generally somewhat darker, almost 

 steel-blue. But the females have the jugular region rather darker, browner, 

 the chin in contrast, as a rule, more whitish, sometimes quite white. This latter 



