ARSES BATANTAE ET A. ARUENSIS. 21 



NOTE VI. 

 ARSES BATANTAE ET A. ARUENSIS. 



A description of two apparently overlooked species of 

 Flycatchers, of the genus Arses. By R. Bowdler Sharpe, 

 F. L. S. , F. Z. S. etc. Senior assistant , Department of Zoo- 

 logy, British Museum. 



If it were a rule in Ornithology that species could only 

 be described from the male birds , it is quite certain that 

 some very different birds would be unchronicled. It often 

 happens that two allied species are quite distinct as regards 

 the males, and yet the females and young are indistin- 

 guishable one from the other. Cases in which the males 

 are alike and the respective females quite different, are 

 far rarer in ornithology , and yet a very positive case 

 occurs in the genus Edoliisoma among the Campophagidae 

 and another instance may apparently be found in the 

 genus Arses among the Flycatchers. In fact the species 

 usually called Arses telescophthalmus from New Guinea has 

 been made to include two other species which seem quite 

 different, and which we propose to found upon the female 

 plumage alone. 



Arses batantae, sp. n. 

 $ macula anteoculari alba : pileo semper cinereo : dorso 

 aurantiaco , alis dorso concoloribus , secondariis inti- 

 mis omnino aurantiacis , medialiter baud brunneis , 

 vel saturatioribus : uropygio et supracaudalibus dorso 

 concoloribus: cauda aurantiaco-castanea , baud ad 

 apicem brunnescente. 



Notes from the HiCydeii Museum. 



