192 BIRDS FROM NIAS. 



An adult male (N**. 39) from Hili Madjeio , and an adult 

 female (N°. 226) from Tadora. 



»Iris of the male red, of the female white, with a sur- 

 rounding red edge , bill brown , feet red. Native name : 

 Fofo la fo-oe." 



Count Salvadori has separated the Nias bird from the 

 Javan M. Emiliana under the name M. Modiglianii on 

 account of its larger size only. Wardlaw Ramsay, Ibis 

 1890, considers the Nias bird to be a larger and darker *) 

 race than M. Emiliana from Java, and intermediate in 

 color between the latter and the darker brown M. tenui- 

 rostris from the Philippine Archipelago. There is, however, 

 no question of the darker brown color in the Nias birds, 

 these latter being, by uo means darker than all our Javan 

 specimens, and the emerald green gloss on the mantle, 

 which is especially striking in our adult male from Nias , 

 is also present in most of our males from Java. The dif- 

 ference between Javan and Nias birds, therefore, would 

 only be based upon the larger size of the latter, but this 

 difference does not hold well when compared with a large 

 series of Javan specimens. 



We have in our Museum a series of 23 specimens of 

 M. Emiliana from Java, varying in length of wing from 

 17,2 to 17,5 cm., while our female from Nias measures 

 17,5 cm., and the male 18 cm. I must, however, call 

 the attention upon an adult specimen, probably a male, 

 from the island of Kangean , north from the island of Bali, 

 presented to our Museum by Dr. Vorderman. This is a very 

 large specimen , its wing measuring fully 19 cm., while in 

 other respects it does not present the least difference with 

 our Javan and Nias specimens. 



color which is not seen on the hird itself. Neither in this plate nor in that 

 given by Salvadori the emerald green is represented , which adorns our male 

 as well as, though in a lighter degree, our female specimen. 



1) Oustalet, 1. c, on the contrary says that the Nias birds are lighter 

 colored than Javan specimens, thus standing between M Emiliana and M. te- 

 nuirostris from the Philippine Archipelago. This must, I think, be a slip of 

 pen, the Philippiue bird being much darker than the Javan. 



Notes from the Leyden ]Museuiii, "Vol. XVIII. 



