( 74 ) 



confirmed by my excellent friend Count Salvadoii in (he above-named letter, are 

 ajjparently well founded. 



The Xias birds difter from the Borneo specimens in being much smaller in all 

 their dimensions, exhibiting shorter wings, tails, bills, and legs. Contrary to the 

 statements of Count Salvadori, I don't find that the liglit tail-bands are narrower, but 

 I find that the dark (black) bands of the tail are rather narrower, and also that the 

 black ti]is of the juiniaries are shorter. As far as I can make out from the dried 

 si>ecimens, it appears that the Nias form has a much lighter bill than that from 

 Borneo, but this may be an accidental character. 



After all I feel justified in separating the Nias form as a new species, and I take 

 the liberty to name it after Count Salvadori, to wiiom we owe the first knowledge of 

 the interestinsj avifauna of t lie islaud of Nias.* 



Note on Oriolus consobrinus l!ams. 



In Proc. Zool. Soc, 1879, [i. 70!), .Mr. 1\. G. Wardlaw Kamsay described a. female 

 Onohis from Sandakan, North-East Borneo, under the name of 0. consohrimus, at 

 the same time expressing his belief that the unknown male would be found to 

 resemble that of 0. xanthonotus, "but possibly with the up])or tail-coverts reddish 

 or rusty brown." As far as I know no author since has mentioned that species, but if 

 1 am riglit I think 1 have been fortunate enough to discover the Tnale of 0. consohrinnH. 

 In a collection of badl_v pre))arcd Borneo skins which Mr. Schli'iter, of Halle, 

 forwarded to me last year, I found two iiiale specimens of an Oriolus allied to 

 0. xanthonotus, which immedialely arose my attention as they differed from speci- 

 mens from Baram River and Mount Penrisen in Western Borneo, which are identical 

 with true 0. xanthonotus from Malacca, etc. These specimens had no original labels 

 attached to them, but they have l^chlilter's labels, " Kinabalu " being written on 

 them in Schlilter's handwriting. The majority of the specimens in that collection 

 were thus labelled Kinalialu (l)eing also well-knomi Kinabalu forms), others ■' Lawas 

 River" or " Labuan." I don't know who was the collector. 



Now the two Oriolus from Kinabalu differ from three specimens of 0. xantho- 

 notus from Baram River, Penrisen, and from other skins of that species, in being 

 larger in all their dimensions, especially in having a much longer and larger bill, 

 which is generally of a darker colour. The black cap is rather more brownish, not 

 deep black as in 0. xanthonotus, and is rather more extended to the nape. The 

 yellow back is rather more greenish. The black on (he breast is not so clearly 

 sei)arated from the white underiiarts, the black feathers being margined laterally with 

 white or greyish white. Finally the black stripes on the abdomen are rather 

 broader. I may add the following diagnosis : — 



0. consobrinus (V) (J ad. 0. xanthonoio afBnis sed major, rostro imprimis lon- 

 giore et crassiore et obscurius brunneo tincto, nigredine capitis luridiore et magis ad 

 nucham extenso, dorso Inridiore flavo, nigredine pectoris sulrtiis minus dare definite 

 jilumis nigris albo lateraliter marginatis; necnon striis nigris abdominis latioribus 

 distinguendus. 



* 1 have not been able to compare S. mhiivmsViumc {Stray Feathers, {., p. 4(!4), from Camurt.i 

 (Nicobars), which seems to agree with S. salradiirii in its small size, but may difter in coloration, nor have 

 I .'iecn the small birds from Natuna Island which my friend Mr. Hartert provisionally referred to S./mlliitus 



(if. N'OVITATES ZOOLOGICAK, I., p. 482). 



