(480) 



A NEW SPECIES OF BOWER BIRD. 



By the HON. WALTER ROTHSCHILD. 



Amblyomis flavifrons sp. nov. 



Anri.T iL\LE. — Top of the head from tlie base of the bill and crest brilliant golden 

 yellow; base of the feathers of the pileum and crest deep brown; shafts of the crest- 

 feathers lemon-yellow towards the base, and with a faint indication of a black line 

 towards the tip. Sides of bead, throat, neck, che.st, back, and rump deep brown, with 

 a rufous tinge. Wings and tail dark brown, with an olive tinge. Abdomen rufous 

 cinnamon. Underside of primaries on the basal half of inner webs dirty yellow; 

 shafts buff. Under wing-coverts very pale cinnamon. Wing 5'2 inches, tail 3-75, 

 culmen 095, tarsus 11, middle toe with claw 115. 



Halj. Dutch New Guinea. 



The species will be figured in Vol. III. of this journal. 



This Bower-bird, of which I have one evidently fully adult mule,* differs from 

 Amblyomis subalaris and A. inormita jirineipally in the three following points: — 



(1) The yellow of the top of the head reaches to the nostrils, while in the other 

 two species the entire forehead is brown like the back. 



(2) The feathers composing the crest, although very long and slender, have united 

 ivebs like an ordinary feather, while in the two other species the webs are decomposed 

 and each feather consi.sts of a bundle of thin hairlike filaments. 



(3) The colours of the under parts are distinctly separated at the che.st, while 

 in A. ino^'nata the colour of the chest fades gradually towards the vent, and in 

 A. subahiris the under jmrts are of a uniform brown, slightly .spotted with buff. 



A fourth difference is tliat the crest in my new species is golden yellow, and not 

 orange, while in A. snlxdnris it is crimson orange and in A. inomata it is huffy 

 orange. 



I have not been able to compare my species with A. musgravlanus Goodwin, 

 but the most obvious differences of the latter, judging from the description, are the 

 dark green upperside, the uniform brown imder surface, and the colour of the crest, 

 which is de.scribed as dark orange, each feather tipped with brown. (See Ibis, 1890, 

 p. lo.-..) 



The length of the crest of A. flavifrons is iV2 inches, of that of A. incnniaia it is 

 nearly 4, while in A. snbalciris it is only 2'3. 



* After this article went to press I received a second specimen of this bird, which agrees in all 

 respects \vith the first one. 



