390 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.56. 



SAUROPATIS CHLORIS GRAYI Cabanis and Heine, 



Siauropatis}. Grayi Cabanis and Heine, Mus. Hein., pt. 2, 1860, p. 159 

 (based on "Halcyon sordida Gray (nee Gould) P. Z. S., 1858, 

 p. 172 [No.] 14") (Aru Islands). 



Halcyon chloris aruensis Berlepsch, Abhandl. Senckenb, Naturf. Gesells., 

 vol. 34, pt. 1, July 31, 1911, p. 75 (Dobo, Aru Islands). 



SubspecifiG characters. — Similar to Sauropatis chloris chloris^ but 

 upper parts more greenish or brownish; no green at all on sides of 

 head ; blue on outer webs of primaries paler. 



Measurements. — Both sexes :^ Wing, 100-110.5 (average, 105.7) 

 mm.; tail, 71-73 (71.8); culmen, 49-56.5 (53.7) ;2 tarsus, 15.5-16.5 

 (16). 



Type locality. — Aru Islands. 



Geographic distribution. — Aru Islands. 



Remarks. — This bird was described by von Berlepsch ^ under the 

 impression that Sauropatis chloris sordida was a distinct species, 

 and that the two occurred together on the Aru Islands. The present 

 writer, not having access to any Aru Island specimens, wrote to Dr. 

 Ernst Hartert for his opinion regarding the status of Halcyon chloris 

 aruensis. Doctor Hartert very kindly borrowed for examination tho 

 type series, and under date of March 16, 1913, wrote me as follows: 



" I have received a long letter from friend Berlepsch and the types 

 of his Halcyon chloris aruensis. Though they look very much like 

 chloris — are, in my opinion, undoubtedly hlue varieties of H. sor- 

 didus! We have a specimen entirely intermediate between Ber- 

 lepsch's ' aruensis ' and typical dark sordidus.'''' 



From this information and the data furnished by the original 

 description of Halcyon chloris aruensis, this bird appears to be a 

 recognizable race, combining the characters of Sauropatis chloris 

 chloris and Sauropatis chloris sordida, and forming the connecting 

 link between these two. It thus becomes evident that Sauropatis 

 sordida is a subspecies of Sauropatis chloris, with which view of its 

 status the opinion of Doctor Hartert coincides. 



Unfortunately for Berlepsch and his name Halcyon chloris aru- 

 ensis, the Aru Islands bird had long previously been named by 

 Cabanis and Heine, by whom it had been called Sauropatis grayi^^ 

 on the basis of a specimen from the Aru Islands briefly described by 

 Gray under the name " Halcyon sordida var." ^ The race inhabiting 

 the Aru Islands must therefore bear the name Sauropatis chloris 



^ Six specimens, measured by Berlepsch and Gray. 



* Doubtless total culmen, and thus not entirely comparable with exposed culmen. 



8 Abhandl. Senckenb. Naturf. Gesells., vol. 34, pt. 1, July 31, 1911, p. 75. 



*Mus. Holn.. pt. 2, 18G0, p. 159. 



"Proc. Zool. Sec. Lond., 1858, p. 172. 



