( 486 ) 



ON A SMALL COLLECTION OF BIRDS FROM MINDORO. 



By ERNST HARTERT. 



THK Island of Miudoro, in the PhilipiMue Arohiiielago, was visited by the Steere 

 Expedition to the Philippines in 1887, and by HeiT Schmacker in December 

 1888 and January 1889. I have given a list of the species discovered on the Island 

 of Mindoro by these two parties in the Journal fur Ornithologie, 1891, which 

 contained sixty-four species. The island was afterwards visited by Dr. Platen, the 

 well-known collector, and he discovered many additional species, including a number 

 of novelties. Nothing, however, was published about that collection. The birds were 

 received by Herr Nehrkora, and named by Prof. W. Blasius, and some remained in the 

 collection of Herr Xehrkorn, while many duplicates were dispersed, and are now in 

 several museums. Messrs. Bourns & Worcester afterwards collected for a short time 

 on Mindoro, and discovered, I believe, all or nearly all the species which were 

 previously found by Dr. Platen. They, of course, published also the novelties from 

 Mindoro, and thus Platen mo.^t undeservedly lost the credit of his discoveries. I 

 understood that a list of Platen's birds would nevertheless appear somewhere last 

 summer, but I have seen none, so I think it worth while to record the species got by 

 Mr. Everett during his unfortunate and abruptly terminated visit to Xorth Mindoro 

 at the end of November and part of December 1894, and sent to the Tring Museum, 

 while I sustain the hope that a complete list of Platen's birds will after all be issued, 

 as it must add many species to the small number as yet known from Jlindoro. The 

 richly wooded island is by no means fully explored, and esiiecially the higher parts of 

 Mount Halcon will yield a good harvest for an energetic collector, and they will, I 

 hope, be attacked by Mr. Wliitehead, who lias doue such wondrous things in Luzon. 

 I learn from a letter of Mr. Dean C. Worcester that there are no special obstacles to 

 collecting in Mindoro except that it is rather unhealthy. 



It may interest the readers of tliis journal to hear that Mr. ICverett has recovered 

 his health, and has taken up collecting again in other ()uarters. 



I enumerate the species in the same order adopted in my list in /. /. C, 1891, 

 for the sake of convenience. Those added to (he list of birds from Mindoro by this 

 collection are marked with an asterisk. 



Mr. Everett sent the following species from Miudoro : — 



'■"1. Pratiiicola cuprata (L.). 



2. Megalurm pahislris Hovsf. (Hartert, J.f. H., 1H91, p. 2i>lj. 



3. Dicaeaw, retrod nchi'iii Gould (Hartt., o/j. cil. p. 2^t'/). 



4. D. pytjnutemn (Iviltl.) (Hartt., op. cil.). 



•5. Primioehilus inexpectalua KaM., Nov. Zool. II. p. (14. 



•6. Piprisom/i, aeruijinosum (Bourns & Wore). A series of this species, which 

 all agiee perfectly with the description of .Messrs. Bourns & Worcester (Prelivi. 

 Notes B. and Manuu. coll. by Menar/e Exped. to Philippines, p. 20), who described 

 it from Cebu and Mindanao. The species occurs also in Luzon ((irant, Ibis, 1895, 

 p. fi4). A tuule, sexed by Everett, had the following colours : " Iris orange-brown ; 

 maxilla dark plumbeous, mandible pale plumbeous; legs very dark plumbeous." 



