Letters, Announcements, ^c. 355 



varieties described by Mr. Ramsay as new will really stand 

 as such. 



Very important papers are those published by Mr. Sclater 

 on the " Timor-Laut or Tenimber Group o£ Islands " (P.Z. S. 

 1883, pp. 48-58, 191-200) and one by Dr. A. B. Meyer, 

 ' Ueber neue und ungeniigend bekannte Vogel/ etc. (pp. 1- 

 64) . It is impossible to give an opinion on the many new 

 forms described in the last paper without actual comparison, 

 but, judging from what I know of the geographical distri- 

 bution of the birds in the Papuan subregion, I should say 

 that several forms from Timor-Laut, described as new by 

 Dr. Meyer, and which by Mr. Sclater have been attributed 

 to Ke-Islands species, must be really distinct. I think that 

 such will be found to be the case with Geojfroyus timorlaoensis 

 and Philemon timorlaoensis. Rather unexpected comes the 

 new Artamus mmschenbrceki, Meyer, allied to A. leucogaster ; 

 doubtfully good species appear to me Calornis circumscripta 

 and Ptilopus flavovirescens. 



As to the Urospizias from Timor-Laut, which Dr. Meyer 

 attributes with a query to U. albiventris, Salvad., from the Ke 

 Islands, I suspect that it must be a different species. I take 

 this opportunity to mention that U. albiventris is missing in 

 the very recent and important ' List of the Diurnal Birds of 

 Prey,' by Mr. Gurney. 



Also I am much inclined to think that the bird from Timor- 

 Laut attributed by Mr. Sclater to Corvus validissimus must 

 belong to a different species, as the true C. validissimus in- 

 habits a very limited region, and, from what I know, is only 

 to be found in the group of Halmahera, or Northern Mo- 

 luccas, and does not even reach the Amboyna or Coram group. 

 Furthermore, Dicruropsis bracteata and Stigmatops squamata 

 from Timor-Laut, the last doubtfully identified by Mr. Sclater, 

 require comparison. 



Lastly, I wish to point out that in a recent paper by Dr. 

 Finsch, " Ueber Vogel der Siidsee," at p. 29, the Goura from 

 Port Moresby is called G. scheepmakeri. It seems that Dr. 

 Finsch has only obtained an adult male (No. 1386) ; still he 

 adds that the young birds want the brown-chestnut tip to the 



