CATALOGUE OF A C0LLECTT0:N" OF BIRDS MADE BY DOC- 

 TOR W. L. ABBOTT IN MADAGASCAR, WITH DESCRIP- 

 TIONS OF THREE NEW SPECIES. 



By Charles W. Richmond, 



Assistaut Curator, Department of Birds. 



Within the last few months Doctor Abbott lias forwarded to tlie 

 Uuited States National Museum another of his interesting collections, 

 consisting of mammals, birds, ethnological material, and miscellaneous 

 objects of natural history from Madagascar. In so far as the birds are 

 concerned, this collection contains 217 specimens and 83 species, of 

 which three appear to be new to science. One of the latter has been 

 described in another connection,^ and the other two are characterized 

 in the accompanying catalogue. 



The birds are very well prepared, as usual, fresh in appearance, and 

 a number of the species are rare and of great interest. 



On account of the unsettled condition of affairs in the island, Doctor 

 Abbott was unable to procure any ammunition there or to have it sent 

 him from African ports, and was thus obliged to discontinue his explo- 

 rations, leaving the most attractive regions, the south and southwest, 

 unvisited. 



After a few months, February to July, 1895, .'^pent in jMadagascar, 

 mainly on the east coast. Doctor Abbott returned to Kashmir, where he 

 spent the winter, chiefly in the pursuit of large game and such material 

 as he had not previously sent from that region. 



Most of the references in the synonymy of the list have been carefully 

 verified, with the result that in several cases they differ from the 

 references in the British Museum catalogues. 



Family COLYMBID.E. 



1. COLYMBUS PELZELNII (Hartlaub). 

 I'lodiceps] pelzelnU, Hautlaub, Fauna Madag., 1861, p. 83. (Madagascar.) 



One specimen. Male adult, north of River Mangoro, May 8. 



1 Proc. Biol. Soc, Wash., X, Marcli 14, 1896, p. 53. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XIX— No. 1118. 



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