58 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. voi,. 64. 



121. LAMPROCOCCYX MALAY ANUS (Raffles). 



One female, Parigi, September 17, 1916, and one male, Toboli, 

 October 25, 1916. 



These belong to NeochalGites Mathews,® but I do not see the ad- 

 vantage of recognizing it, though there are slight structural dif- 

 ferences. Lamprococcyx basalts,'' when compared with Lamprococ- 

 cyx lucidus (type of Lamprococcyx Cabanis and Heine), has the 

 nostril of a different shape; more oval and nearly parallel with the 

 tomium, L. lucidus has the feathers of the chin more bristly at the 

 tips, and the bill is broader. The wing formula is practically the 

 same. These differences are slight and hard to make out. Genera 

 iire largely matters of convenience or to emphasize lines of descent, 

 and in the present case I can see no practical utility in recognizing 

 Neochalcites. 



122. EUDYNAMIS MELANORHYNCHA S. Miiller. 



A good series of adults and immature in various stages of plumage 

 from the following localities: Soemalata, September 7, 1914; Kwan- 

 dang, October 9, 1914; Likoepang, March 12, 1916; Manembo Nembo, 

 June 23, 1916 ; Toemaratas, July 8, 1916 ; Laboea Sore, November 28, 

 1916; Koelawi, February 1, 1917; Kano Lindoe, March 8-19, 1917; 

 Gimpoe, August 2-23, 1917 ; Pinedapa, February 5 and 21, 1918. 



This series convinces me that Meyer and Wiglesworth's ^ interpre- 

 tation of the plumages of this species, except for the adult male, is 

 erroneous. A young male, taken June 23, 1916, No. 249,652, is not 

 long from the nest ; the tail is about half grown and the bill is short 

 and stubby, yet it is a shining blue black, above and below, only a 

 little duller than the adult. Now, what I take to be the fully adult 

 female, and it is so marked by the collector, is a greenish black above 

 and on the fore neck, shading off into fuscous, with a metallic sheen 

 on the chest, breast, and belly. From the foregoing it will be seen 

 that the fully adult female resembles the adult male, but is duller, 

 being a greenish black above and fuscous on the chest, breast, and 

 belly, whereas the male plumage is a uniform bluish or purplish 

 black, only slightly duller on the under parts. The next stage with 

 greenish black backs and tails, dull black throats, and cinnamon-buff 

 low^er parts are immature females, approaching maturity and are 

 marked as females by the collector, the specimens like the above 

 but with bars below being only still younger. Birds with backs and 

 tails barred rufous and black, with cinnamon-buff under parts 

 barred with black, and chestnut throats are younger females, probably 



'Austral Av. Rec, vol. 1, 1913, p. 7. 



■f Mathews makes his €hrysococcyx basalts m^Uori the type of ^Neochal cites, but sub- 

 species do not differ structurally from the species. 

 8 Birds of Celebes, vol. 1, 1898, p. 205. 



