52 



PEOCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



VOL. 64. 



A female taken at Koeala Prang, May 28, is an immature moltino; 

 into the adult plumage and was undoubtedly bred on the island. 

 The various series average as follows : 



Four males, Celebes 



Eleven males, Philippines 



One male, Java 



Four males, lower Siam and Malay Peninsula 



Two males, south Pagi and Simalur 



Three males, Nicobars 



Four females, Celebes 



Five females, Philippines 



One female, Java 



One female, West Sumatra 



Culmen. 



mm. 

 43. 2 

 40. 6 

 42. 5 

 40. 9 



40. 

 42. 

 39. 

 39. 

 44 

 41. 



109. MEROPS ORNATUS ORNATUS Latham. 



One male and one female, Soemalata, September 5 and 8, 1914. 



The small series of this species from Australia available for com- 

 parison varies quite a little individually ; specimens from north Aus- 

 tralia (Port Darwin), West Australia and South Australia have a 

 more bluish cast above and on the belly than the only two specimens 

 in the series from New South Wales, The western bird has been 

 named, Merops oiviatus shortHdgel Mathews." The Celebes male has 

 a more ochraceous cast to the green and less blue on the lower back 

 and tertials; the top of the head is also more extensively cinnamon 

 rufous and the blue rictal stripe narrower than in a male from New 

 South Wales. Nevertheless it seems to be nearer this form than the 

 one from western Australia but my series is too small to determine 

 the various races into which the species may be divided. It is prob- 

 ably only a migrant in Celebes. A male from Port Moresby, New 

 Guinea, closely resembles the male specimen from New South Wales; 

 it has a more bluish cast to the belly and the top of the head is 

 browner. 



110. MEROPOGON FORSTENI CENTRALIS Meyer, "b 



One male and one female, Rano Lindoe, March 21, 1917; five males 

 and two females, Toewo Mountain, Besoa, October 24-November 3. 

 1917; one male and two females, Pinedapa, February 1, 1918. 



In the above series the females have the central tail feathers less 

 narrowed and the blue toward the tip less evident than in the males. 



A pair of young, not long from the nest, taken at Toewo Mountain, 

 October 24, have the top of head dusky, the feathers tipped with 

 dusky-green blue (more greenish in the female), shading to dusky 



^ Nov. Zool., vol. 18, 1912, p. 290. 



""Notes Le.vden Mus., vol. 23. 1901, p. 186 (Takala Mountains). 



