20. APLONIS. 131 



Aplonis brevirostris, Cass. U. S. Expl. Exped. p. 126, pi. vii. fifj. 2 

 (1858) ; Gray, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 163, note; id. Cat. B. Trop. Isl. 

 Pacific Ocean, p. 27 (1859); Finsch i^- Hartl. Faun. Central- 

 polyn p. 105, Taf. 10. iig. 3 (1867); Gray, Iland-l. B. ii. p. 26, 

 no. 6370 (1870) ; IMiitmee, Ibis, 1875, p. 440; Layard, P. Z. S. 

 1876, p. 494; Buller, B. N. Zeal. 2nded. i. p. 25 (1887). 



Adult. Similar to A. tahuensis, but much smaller and darker 

 brown above, the head and face glossed with greenish bronze ; the 

 outer secondaries distinctly edged with white ; under surface brown, 

 broadh' streaked with white ; lower abdomen and under tail-coverts 

 pure white; throat ashy white with scarcely any indication of white 

 mesial streaks ; thighs uniform brown ; under wing-coverts and 

 axillaries white : " bill and feet brownish red ; iris golden yellow 

 {Graeffe) : " bill and feet reddish horn-colour ; iris bright orange " 

 (Peale). Total length inches, culmen 0'65, wing 3-85, tail 2-5, 

 tarsus 1"1. 



JIab. Samoa Islands. 



a. Ad. St. Tutuila, Samoa. J. Brencliley, Esq. 



[P.]. 



b, c. Ad, sk. Samoa. Eev. S. J. Whitmee 



[C.]. 

 d, 5 ad. sk. Samoa (<S'. J. Whitmee). Tweeddale CoU. 



e-g. <S ad. ; h. Ana, Upolu, Samoa, Dec. 1875 Tweeddale Coll. 

 2 ad. sk. (Z. C. Layard). 



7. Aplonis vitiensis. 



Aplonis cassini, Gi-ay, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 163, note * j id. B. Trop. Isl. 



Pacific Ocean, p. 26 (1859) ; id. JSand-l. B. ii. p. 26, no. 63(54 



(1870). 

 Aplonis tabuensis (nee Gm.'), Finsch ^- Hartl. Faun. Centralpolyn. 



p. 103, Taf. 10. fig. 2 (1867) ; Layard, P. Z. S. 1875, p. 435 ; id. 



Ibis, 1876, p. 147. 

 Aplonis margiiialis, Hartl. Ibis, 1804, p. 232. 

 Aplonis vitiensis, Layard, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 502 ; id. Ibis, 1876, 



p. 392 ; Finsch, P. Z. S. 1877, pp. 735, 774 ; TV. A. Forbes, P. Z. S. 



1878, p. 352 ; Finsch, Pep. Voy. ' Challenyer,' ii. Birds, p. 50 



(1881). 



Adult male. Similar to A. tabuensis, but smaller and browner, 

 with scarcely any green gloss except on the head, which is washed 

 with oil-green : under surface of body light ashy, inclining to 

 ochreous white on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; the entii'e 

 throat and breast and sides of body streaked with mesial lines of 

 white, rather broader on the latter ; outer secondaries edged with 

 white ; sides of neck brown streaked with white : " iris dark red or 

 brown " (J. Murray). Total length 7 inches, culmen 0*75, wing 3-9, 

 tail 2-3, tarsus 1'15. 



* No descriptiou is given and the localities are mixed up. Three specimens 

 were marked " Aplonis cassini " by Mr. Gray, and these are the only real indi- 

 cations of the species. I retain the better-defined name given bv Mr. Layard. 



k2 



