the Exploration of the Fly River. 365 



study of the geographical distribution of species on the prin- 

 ciple of evolution. 



It remained to know something about the fauna o£ the 

 central part of the large island ; and in 1876, by the liberality 

 of the Government of New South Wales and some gentle- 

 men of this colony, I was enabled to go once more as a pioneer, 

 as I had been at Mount Arfak and at Hall Sound, to find a new 

 track to the heart of this mysterious land, which no doubt 

 will be soon followed by other explorers, to the advance- 

 ment of science, and probably of commerce. 



Although collecting specimens of natural history was not 

 the principal aim of the voyage, still, from the list of the 

 birds collected and observed, we have, I may say, added a 

 new link to the chain which connects the northern and 

 southern avifauna of New Guinea with that of Australia. 

 I hope that the few notes that I may add on some of the 

 more interesting species will be acceptable. 



From my list it seems that rapacious birds are scarce in 

 the centre of New Guinea ; but if we consider the difficulty 

 of detecting such birds in their native forests, and when 

 perched on the branches of lofty trees, or when flying above 

 the dense mass of vegetation, we shall consider their scarcity 

 to be rather an apparent than a real one. 



Among the few collected, it is worth while to mention a 

 pair of the beautiful and rare Henicopernis longicauda, which, 

 although inhabiting the Aru Islands and, I think, also the 

 north-west coast of New Guinea, is still very rare in the 

 museums of Europe. 



Among the Parrot family, of which my list is a little richer, 

 I have first to mention the Dasyptilus pecqueti, which, judg- 

 ing by the shape of its bill and head, is almost an aberrant 

 form among the family. This bird has been for many years 

 very rare in the collections ; and only one or two skins had 

 reached Europe previous to 1872, when I got four fine speci- 

 mens on the Arfak Mountains. Subsequently it has also been 

 found by following explorers, but always few in number. 

 It is generally an inhabitant of the mountains ; but it is seen 

 occasionally on the plain, and also very far up the Fly River. 



