NO. 2175. THE BIRDS OF BAWEAN ISLAND—OBERROLSER. 185 



Family FREGATIDAE. 



FREGATA MINOR MINOR (Gmelin). 



[Pelecanus] minor Gmelin, Syst. Nat., vol. 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 572 (no locality; type 

 locality designated as "the eastern half of the Indian Ocean," by Rothschild, 

 Novit. ZooL, vol. 22, February, 1915, p. 145). 



One specimen: Adult male, No. 181398, U.S.N.M., November 21, 

 1907. ''Iris brown; bill pale leaden; gular pouch brick red; feet 

 dark brown." It is in good adult plumage though molting some of 

 the contour feathers, particularly on the cervix; and the wings and 

 tail are intact. It measures: Total length (in flesh), 870 mm.; wing, 

 545; tail, 390; exposed culmen, 103; tarsus, 20.3; middle toe, 45. 



This example agrees, in so far as I can see, with the birds from the 

 eastern Indian Ocean. The name for this race is, as Doctor Roth- 

 schild has shown,^ Fregata minor minor, since the original Pelecanus 

 minor ^ appUes pretty certainly to the East Indian bird; at least not 

 to that of the West Indies as Mr. Mathews has contended.'' 



Family BUTEONIDAE. 



SPILORNIS BASSUS BAWEANUS, new subspecies. < 



Subspecijic characters. — Similar to Spilornis hassus hassus from 

 Sumatra, but smaller, and darker both above and below. 



Description. — Type, adult female, No. 181446, U.S.N.M.; Bawean 

 Island, Java Sea, November 25, 1907; Dr. W. L. Abbott. Pileum 

 black, the feathers aU with pure white bases which show through 

 the black, particularly on the occiput, in the form of irregular 

 spots; rest of upper surface clove brown, the feathers marginally 

 rather lighter, the back sparingly sprinkled with small dots of dull 

 white, the scapulars and feathers of rump and upper tail-coverts 

 tipped with white; tail above with a broad basal band, extending 

 about 80 mm. from the root of the feathers, clove brown, this suc- 

 ceeded by another broad band, about 35 to 40 mm. wide, of brownish 

 black, this followed in turn by a broad band, 35 mm. wide on outer pair 

 of rectrices, 50 mm. wide on middle pair, of tilleul buff, partly pahng 

 to white on the inner webs of outer feathers, everywhere heavily 

 mottled and clouded with grayish aveUaneous, least so on the inner 

 webs of outermost rectrices, this again succeeded by stiU another 

 wide band of slightly brownish black, and finally tipped narrowly 

 (3 to 8 mm.) with aveUaneous; under surface of tail with a broad 

 basal band of white, mottled with mouse gray, a narrower succeeding 



> Novit. Zool., vol. 22, February 12, 1915, pp. 145-146. 



2 Gmelin, Syst. Nat., vol. 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 572. 



3 Austral Avian Record, vol. 2, December 19, 1914, p. 118; Birds Australia, vol. 4, pt. 3, June 23, 1915, 

 pp. 240-281. 



< An earlier name for Falco bacha Daudin (Spilornis bacha Authors) is Falco bassus J. R. Forster (Natur- 

 gesch. African. Vogel, 1798, p. 55); and this species should therefore stand as Spilornis bassus (Forster). 

 See Richmond, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 35, 1902, p. 592. 



