98 



PROCEEDINGS OP THE NATIONAX, MUSEUM. 



VOL. 64. 



celebensis mei'idionalis (Meyer and Wiglesworth) through the kind- 

 ness of J. H. Fleming. They are more distinct than one would be 

 led to believe from descriptions alone. The southern form is much 

 darker above, with less of a yellowish wash ; below it is much darker, 

 with the lighter edges of the feathers much reduced. Orodytes c. 

 celebensis has the feathers of the lower parts strongly edged with 

 dark olive buff while in O. c. meridionalis the edges on the feathers 

 to the lower parts are narrow and more of a citrine, which makes 

 the darker centers of the feathers more conspicuous. If these two 

 forms occurred on different islands there is not much question but 

 that they would be ranked as distinct species. It may well be that 

 the series from north-central Celebes does not belong to the north- 

 ern form at all but to an intermediate race. Meyer ^* reports the 

 southern form from central Celebes; this I can not well understand, 

 unless the ranges of the two forms end rather abruptly. 

 The two series average as follows : 



Culmen, 



Eight males, north-central Celebes. _ 



Three males, south Celebes 



Three females, north-central Celebes 



mm. 

 29.7 

 27.7 

 26.3 



From the above measurements it will be seen that the females are 

 considerably smaller than the males ; this seems to be the only sexual 

 difference. 



As previous authors have had difficulty in placing this species in 

 the currently accepted genera, I have erected Orodytes " for it as a 

 solution of the difficulty. 



Since writing the foregoing the United States National Museum 

 has acquired a specimen of Melilestes megarhynchus (type of the 

 genus) and the differences between it and Orodytes are given below 

 in parallel columns: 



Orodytes. 



Melilestes. 



Bill proportionately longer and 

 heavier; depth at base about equal, 

 to the width; culmen about equal to 

 tarsus and middle-toe with claw; 

 ridge of culmen rounded and expanded 

 at base ; serrations on the cutting edge 

 of upper mandible at the tip more pro- 

 nounced ; operculum to nostril propor- 

 tionally weaker ; a distinct line or stria 



Bill proportionally shorter, weaker, 

 and more compressed ; depth at base 

 greater than the width ; culmen less 

 than tarsus and middle-toe with claw ; 

 ridge of culmen not expanded at base 

 but compressed ; serrations on the 

 cutting edge of upper mandible of the 

 tip less pronounced ; operculum to 

 nostril proportionally greater ; no dis- 



7< Notes Leyden Mus., vol. 23, 1903, p. 189. 

 Tsproc. Biol. Soc. Wash., vol. 34, 1921, p. 52. 



