THE BIRDS OF THE ANAMBA ISLANDS. 



By Harry C. Oberholser, 



Of the Biological Survey, United States Department of Agriculture. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Dr. W. L. Abbott was the first ornithological collector to visit the 

 Anamba Islands of the South China Sea. Accompanying him was 

 Mr. C. Boden Kloss, who later published an account of the cruise 

 with a nominal list of the birds of these islands. 1 This trip was 

 made in the summer and autumn of 1899. During the summer of 

 the following year Doctor Abbott again visited these islands. As 

 one of the results of these two excursions Doctor Abbott sent back to 

 the United States National Museum a collection of 212 birds, repre- 

 senting 44 species and subspecies, which has proved to be of much 

 interest. 



The following report on the avifauna of the Anamba Islands is 

 based entirely on Doctor Abbott's specimens, his manuscript notes, 

 and the data published by Mr. Kloss. 2 Nineteen new subspecies are 

 here described from the Anamba Islands in addition to the two 

 hitherto published. 3 Two others — one from the Seychelles, the other 

 from the Andaman Islands — are also named incidentally in the fol- 

 lowing pages. 4 



In the preparation of this contribution the writer has enjoyed the 

 facilities of the United States National Museum, and the cordial 

 cooperation and assistance of the assistant curator of the Division 

 of Birds, Dr. Charles W. Richmond. The writer is also personally 

 indebted to Doctor Abbott for geographical and other information 

 concerning the Anamba Islands. 



All measurements are in millimeters, and have been taken as 

 explained in the writer's recent paper on Butorides virescens. 5 The 

 names of colors employed in the descriptions are based, except where 

 otherwise stated, on Mr. R. Ridgway's recently published Color 



1 Journ. Straits Branch Roy. Asiatic Soc, No. 41, January, 1904, pp. 53-80. 



2 Idem, pp. 68-80. 



3 Hypothymis azurea opisthocyanea Oberholser, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 39, Feb. 25, 1911, p. 602; 

 and CollocGliafuciphagu amechana Oberholser, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 42, Mar. 6, 1912, p. 13. 



* See pp. 16 and 24. 



* Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 42, 1912, p. 533. 



70536°— Bull. 98—17 1 1 



