386 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.55. 



SAUROPATIS CHLORIS SOLOMONIS (Ramsay). 



Halcyon solotnonis Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales, vol. 6, 



1881, p. 833 (Solomon Islands). 



Halcyon salanionls Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. New Soutli Wales, vol. 7, 



1882, p. 21 (Ugi Island and St. Christoval Island, Solomon Islands) 

 Hahnjon salmonis Ramsay, Nature, vol. 25, 1882, p. 355 (Solomon Islands). 

 Sauropatis salomO)ns Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, vol. 18, 



1882, p. 420. 

 Halcyon solomonensis Shakpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. 17, 1892, pi. 7, 

 fig. 2 (Solomon Islands). 



Subspecific characters. — Similar to Sauropatis chloris chloris., but 

 much smaller; white occipital patch obsolescent; supraloral spot re- 

 duced, sometimes absent; male with head more bluish; female much 

 duller, darker, above than the female of Sauropatis chloris chloris, 

 the back below the white collar more blackish, the head more dusky 

 or brownish; exposed surface of wing-quills more purely blue (less 

 greenish). 



Measurements. — Female : ^ Wing, 91 mm. ; tail, 63 ; culmen, 45.5 ; 

 tarsus, 12.5. 



Type locality. — Ugi Island, Solomon Islands. 



Geographic distribution. — Solomon Islands; together with prob- 

 ably the islands of New Britain and New Ireland. 



Remarks. — There is little difficulty in distinguishing this well- 

 marked form from Sauropatis chloris chloris, by its small size and 

 the dark upper surface of the female; it is, however, more closely 

 allied to Sauropatis chloris sordida. 



It may be worth while to call attention to the original description 

 of Halcyon chloris solomonis,- as above given, for the subspecific 

 name is commonly cited from the Proceedings of the Linnaean So- 

 ciety of New South Wales for 1882, where it is spelled salamonis. 



SAUROPATIS CHLORIS HYPERPONTIA, new subspecies. 



Subspecific characters. — Similar to Sauropatis chlons solomonis, 

 but larger ; female with head darker ; no line of white over the eye ; 

 no white in loAver part of eye-ring; white occipital patch larger; 

 outer under wing-coverts mottled with blackish brown and dark 

 greenish. 



Description.— Type, nearly adult (female?), No. 102000, U.S.N.M. ; 

 Havannah Harbor, Vate Island (Efate, or Sandwich Island), New 

 Hebrides Islands, Melanesia. Back and scapulars dark oily bottle 

 green; forehead olive brown; rest of pileum olive brown tinged with 

 greenish, shading on the occiput into the dark green color of the 

 back; a large, almost concealed white occipital patch; a rather wide 

 black nuchal band; a broad white cervical collar (a few of the 



^ One specimen, measured by Sharpe. 



2 Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales, vol. 6, 1881, p. 833. 



