l8 Shufeldt, Malerial Jor a Study of the Megapodiidce. [i^f"]"].. 



No, 211,299. — Albatross Philippine Expedition, Taal Volcano, 



Luzon, Phil., 27th December, 1907. 

 No. 233,006, 3. (Col. No. 4,104). — Same date, &c., as the last. 

 No. 23,307, S (Menage Collection), (original label 4,105). — P.P. 

 Palawan, 7th January, 1892. Collectors, D. C. Worcester 

 and F. S. Bourns. 



There are no measurements or other data on the labels attached 

 to these skins, as there should be. Some of the collectors may 

 have "field-notes" in their note-books, but this is not the case 

 %\ith all. As all ornithologists are awai-e, the " lengths" of birds 

 in the skin is only too often unreliable, as thousands of cases will 

 vouch for in any collection. For example, Ogilvie-Grant gives 

 the length of M. nicobariensis as 14.5 inches, which was probably 

 made from a British Museum specimen of that species. As a 

 matter of fact, the average length of that species in life is over 

 15 inches. 



The habits of Cuming's Megapode are now probably well known 

 to the naturalists in the Philippines, especially to such ornith- 

 ologists connected with the Bureau of Science at Manila as that 

 veteran collector, Richard C. M'Gregor, and others on his staff. 



There are no skins of Megapodiiis sanghirensis nor of Megapodiiis 

 hernsteini in the collection of the United States National Museum. 

 The first-named occurs in Sangi and Talant Island, and the last 

 in Sula Island. 



Megapodius forsteni. 

 According to Sharpe {loc. cit., p. 12), this species is confined to 

 the Moluccas, and he refers to Gray (p. 450) for its description. 

 In the " Cat. Brit. Mus. Birds " Ogihve-Grant refers it to 

 Temminck.* 



This species is a verj- dark, small form, which is crested. By 

 some it is referable to M. jobiensis. In fact, it would appear, 

 from the material at hand, that M. forsteni, M. affinis jobiensis, 

 and M. affinis need a careful going over. There is not a sufficient 

 number of specimens in the collection to admit of this, in my 

 opinion. The following is the record of those the Museum 

 possesses, with such information about them as I find upon their 

 labels : — 



No. 126,040. — M. forsteni, .£■ New Guinea (Butaneng). Adult. 

 No. 126,041, $, adult. — Same species, same locality. 

 No. 146,786 (" Meg. jobiensis "), S- — Mus. Boucard. Collector, 



A. A. Bruijn, Tobie. (Crested.) 

 No. 146,788, .3 (original label = A. A. Bruijn, Ternate. M. 



affinis). 

 No. 145,789, ?, ditto. 

 No. 146,776. — (" Megapodius forsteni ") {affjlnis ?) A. A. Bruijn, 



col. Sex not given. Mus. Boucard. Waigiou. Small feet, 



dark plumage, nails slender, crest. 



♦Gray figured the species in 1847 (" Geu. B.," iii., p. 491, pi. cxxiv.) 

 See also Reichenb. Tauben, pp. 4, 190, pi. cclxxi., tig. 2,496. 



