452 Mr. W. R. Osrilvie Grant on the 



to' 



"new Localities for Species previously known from the 

 Philippine Islands " that Samar is mentioned as an additional 

 locality for the Grey- throated Sun-bird. 



Mr. Whitehead obtained a fine adult pair in Lepanto in 

 the beginning of December. It is evidently a rare bird. 



58. ZosTEROPS MEYENi, Bonap. ; Grant, Ibis, 1894, p. 515. 



When Dr. Sharpe prepared his monograph of this difficult 

 genus, which was published in vol. ix. of the Catalogue of 

 Birds, forming a pleasant oasis in the midst of its pages, the 

 Museum collection contained three examples of a greenish- 

 olive Zosterops from the Philippines, which were referred by 

 Dr. Sharpe to Zosterops meyeni, Bonaparte, a species founded 

 on Diceeum flavum, Kittl., Kupfert. Vog. Heft i. p. 15, pi. 19. 

 fig. 2 (1832). This was certainly a mistake, for the true 

 Meyeu's Silver-eye [Z. meyeni) has the breast and belly pure 

 white, whereas the Museum specimens come into section C 

 of Dr. Sharpens key, which have the " throat yellow like the 

 rest of the under surface ; flanks yellow like the abdomen, or 

 only a little greener or more olive. ^' The three specimens 

 certainly all belong to the same species, but I have been much 

 puzzled to know to what species to refer them if they belong 

 to any described form. They appear to be most nearly allied 

 to Z. nigrorwn, Tweedd., and to the birds that I named Z. lu- 

 zonica, which were obtained at the foot of the Mayon volcano, 

 in the Albay district of South-east Luzon. Both these species 

 are, however, much brighter green above ; the three Museum 

 specimens (named Z. meyeni) having the upper parts of a dull 

 olive-green, rather brighter on the forehead and upper tail- 

 coverts, and the underparts dull whitish yellow, brighter on 

 the throat and fore-neck and olive on the sides and flanks, 

 much as in Z. nigrorum. They are, moreover, very small 

 birds, the wing being 1-9 inch, and the labels are devoid of any 

 very definite information, one being marked " Manilla, Gould 

 Coll.,^'' and the two other '^ Philippine Isl., Hugh Cuming, 

 Esq. [C.].^^ The three specimens certainly appear different 

 from any of those with which I have compared them, but 

 it would be dangerous, with such scanty material, devoid of 

 exact -locality, &c., to describe them as new. 



