198 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c. 



formation about its being arboreal. Here it is truly terrestrial, 

 perching only to rest and sleep. 



" It is astonishing how little care even professed naturalists 

 have given to determining localities. The localities of species 

 given by the ' Dutch Scientific Commission ' are full of errors. 

 Ptilonopus monachus and P. hyogaster are given to CelebeSj 

 whereas they are unknown there, but are abundant in Gilolo and 

 Batchian ; and exactly the same ei'ror is made with Macropygia 

 reinwardti, which you will see in my collections, but not from 

 Celebes. Todiramphus funebris is also unknown in Celebes, but 

 common in Gilolo, so that the Dutch naturalists seem to have 

 placed all their species of unknown locality in Celebes, acting 

 as the French have done in giving to the little island of 

 Vanikoro hundreds of insects which were never found there. 



"Among the other interesting species from Gilolo are a 

 Ptilonopus and a Platycercus — both, I think, new ; the beautiful 

 lanthcenas halmaheira, Bp., and several fine aquatic birds and 

 Waders. 



" In a few days I commence work in Ceram, where I hope to 

 make a very fine collection, especially of Psittacida, the Loi'ies 

 of Ceram surpassing even those of New Guinea in variety and 

 beauty. I live in hopes too of a new Semioptera, or some equally 

 interesting form. 



"I take every opportunity of purchasing live specimens of 

 Parrots from the islands I may probably not visit, and hope to 

 get most valuable materials for elucidating their distribution in 

 the East, which is in the highest degree interesting. Between 

 the Lorius garrulus of Gilolo and that of Batchian there is a 

 constant difierence in the size of the dorsal yellow patch : are 

 they considered distinct species ? 



"The species of Ceram birds mentioned in Bonaparte^s 'Con- 

 spectus' are very few : how is it, then, that it has such a name 

 for fine birds ? I know nothing fine from it, but the Lories, 

 which are superb. However, I hope and believe it will produce 

 some very fine things — new Pigeons, perhaps. The Cassowary 

 is said to be abundant in Ceram, and to be the same as the New 

 Guinea species. The Tanysiptera are very puzzling : which is 

 the true T. dea, Linn. ? The Dorey and Ternate specimens seem 



