14 TATARE LONGIROSTRIS. 



Of tbese seven specimens tlie first five are , in every 

 respect, true members of the species longirostris , about 

 which nothing particular is to be said. Specimen /"however 

 has the two outermost tail-feathers and also the fifth on 

 the left side entirely yellow , while on the right side only 

 the second tail-feather is entirely yellow, the outermost one 

 being only very broadly tipped with that color. With the 

 exception of this particularities , which I consider to be a 

 mere case of xanthism , the bird is in every respect a true 

 T. longirostris and has nothing to do , as one might be- 

 lieve with regard to the mentioned entirely yellow tail- 

 feathers, with Tristram's T. mendanae (Ibis 1888, p. 526, 

 pi. I). To such a case of partial xanthism (resp. albinism) 

 I would also refer the Vienna specimen mentioned by 

 Pelzeln in Ibis 1873, p. 23, in which five of the rectrices 

 on one side are entirely yellowish white, and four on the 

 other side, while one is brown on the basal and yellow 

 on the terminal half, and another statement of xanthism 

 would be indicated by Gmelin who, in the original des- 

 cription of this species, says the tail to be yellow. Moreover 

 the habitat of our bird in question is said to be Tahiti, 

 while T. mendanae belongs to the Marquesas group. 



Specimen ^, with the Marquesas mentioned as its habi- 

 tat, is in every respect a true T. longirostris and has no- 

 thing to deal with T. mendanae. I leave the question open 

 whether the locality » Marquesas" may be wrong or not, 

 though, for my own, I would rather believe the first. 



2. Tatare mendanae Tristr. 



Under this species I propose to range a specimen in our 

 Museum , which we received long ago from the Paris Mu- 

 seum , and which, according to its label, is collected by 

 the Astrolabe-Expedition on the Island of Nnka-hiva, 

 Marquesas. 



General character: Above nearly uniform olive green, 

 somewhat darker on the head, strongly tinged with yellow 

 on rump and upper tail-coverts , and with but very slight 



Notes from tlie Leyden ]M.u.seum, "Vol. XIV. 



