162 BIRDS FROM NIAS. 



lists do not seem to make part of any known bird-collec- 

 tion , it is difficult to have them all thoroughly identified. 



A very important collection of birds was made by Mr. 

 E. Modigliani during his exploration of the island, 

 from April to August 1886, and published by Count Sal- 

 vadori in the Annali del Museo Civico di Storia 

 Naturale di Geuova, Serie 2% Vol. IV (1886), and 

 afterwards by Mr. Modigliani himself in bis illustrated 

 work: Un Viaggio a Nias, Milano, 1890. This bird- 

 collection, very carefully described by Count Salvadori, 

 contained 62 species , amongst which eight are described 

 as new, while 40 species are mentioned for the first time 

 as belonging to the ornis of Nias , so that the number of 

 species from Nias was raised to 102. This very important 

 collection has been presented by Mr. Modigliani to the 

 Museum of Genoa. 



Another bird-collection was made on Nias in 1891 by 

 Mr. J. Claine and described by Dr. E. Oustalet in the 

 Bulletin de la Société Philomatique de Paris, 

 8^ série, tome IV (1892). This collection has been pre- 

 sented by Mr. Claine to the Paris Museum. It contained 

 but few species new for the island , but aevertheless fur- 

 nished most valuable materials , upon which Dr. Oustalet 

 could base a number of very interesting ornithological ob- 

 servations. A complete list of the birds of Nias , with 

 which Dr. Oustalet concluded his publication, contains the 

 names of 104 species. 



A number of Nias birds have also been received by Graf 

 von Berlepsch in 1892 and 1893, from Mr. W. Thomas, 

 a Missionary on the island of Nias , amongst which are 

 contained most of the species described as new by Count 

 Salvadori. This collection contained, moreover, a Spilornis 

 which is described by Graf von Berlepsch as a new species 

 (Spilornis Salvadorii) in Novitates Zoologicae, Vol. 

 II (1895), p. 73. 



A few months ago, our Museum was fortunate enough 

 to acquire, through the kind intermediacy of Mr. J. R. H. 



Notes from the Leyden Miuseutxi , "Vol. XVIII. 



