no. 3629 COLLOCALIA PAPUENSIS — SOMADIKARTA 5 



Specific characters. — Three toes (hallux lost) instead of four; a 

 character unique in the genus. Tarsus densely feathered; upper parts 

 dark fuscous brown, slightly iridescent; crown and back with white 

 concealed barbs; feathers around the neck paler than back and crown; 

 bases of feathers forming supraloral spot, light brownish grey contrast- 

 ing with their black shafts and tips; throat silvery grey, abdomen 

 grayish brown; dark shafts pronounced on feathers of abdomen and 

 undertail coverts, tenth primary shorter than eighth. 



Measurements (mm). — Wing (chord) : 9 <? d\ 119.5-136.5 (129.5); 

 4 99, 125.0-136.0 (131.6); type, 126.0. Central tail feathers: 9 <?c?, 

 45.5-51.0 (48.2); 3 99, 48.5-50.5 (49.6), type, 48.0. Outermost tail 

 feathers: 9 & d" , 48.5-56. 5 (52.4); 4 99, 49.0-53.0 (51.7); type, 52.0. 

 Tail furcation (difference between longest and shortest rectrix) : 

 9 cfcf, 3.0-5.5 (4.2); 3 99, 2.5-3.5 (3.0); type, 4.0. 



Collocalia papuensis 



Collocalia whitehead! 



Figure 2. — Front and side views of bones of the foot in Collocalia papuensis and C. white" 

 headi drawn from X-rays. Splint of bone along tarsus of both species is a sesamoid of 

 the flexor tendons. 



Range and habitat. — Known from Sukarnapura (Hollandia) and 

 the Idenburg River area between sea level and 1800 meters in the 

 western part of New Guinea (now West Irian) . 



According to Rand (1942, p. 459), C. w. papuensis was common at 

 Bernhard Camp, where it fed in parties of 20 to 30 birds. The flocks 

 were usually too high to permit collecting, but occasionally they came 

 low over the marshes; Chaetura novaguineae often and Collocalia 

 vanikorensis sometimes fed with them (see also Rand and Gilliard, 

 1967, p. 278). 



Remarks. — The primaries of the birds from the Idenburg River area 

 are in molt (primary scores 35 to 100; see Newton, 1966, p. 43) in de- 

 scending mode from the first (inner) primary (see Stresemann and 

 Stresemann, 1966, pp. 407, 410); the primaries of the Hollandia 

 specimen are fresh (July 11), but its central tail feathers are in molt. 



