1S72.] ON THE BIRDS OF CELEBES. 135 



PSITTACID.E. 



T.MS'TGNATHUs, Wagler. 



2. TaiNTGX\thus MtJLLEra (S. MuUer & Schlegel), Verhandl. Land- en Volkenk. p. 108, 

 "Celebes" (1839). 



Psittaciis sumafranus, Raffles, Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 281, "Sumatra" (1822). 

 Tanygnatlms alhirostris, Wallace, P. Z. S. 18G2, p. 336, " Celebes and Sula Islands." 

 Eclectics mlilleri (Temm.), O. Finsch, Papag. p. 357; Schlegel, Nederl. Tijdschr. 1866, 

 p. 185. 



Hah. Macassar, Mcnado, Sula Islands {Wallace); Sanghir Islands {Schlegel); Sama Island 

 {Cuming). 



Professor Schlegel and Dr. O. Finsch affirm that the white-billed form {T. alhirostris) 

 represents only a phase of colouring, and is not a species distinct from the red-billed T. millleri. 

 The evidence which they have j)roduced in support of this view (O. Finsch, Papag. ii. p. 361) is 

 strong ; and examples of both forms in my own collection appear to belong to the same species. 

 Mr. Wallace, on the other hand, maintains that the two birds are distinct species, and recently 

 has written to me that " T. alhirostris is certainly distinct." While Dr. O. Finsch {I. c.) states 

 that he has seen living examples in the Amsterdam Zoological Gardens with the white bill 

 passing into the red bill of T. midleri, Mr. Wallace informs us (/. c.) that the cry of T. alhirostris 

 is different from that of T. millleri, and that the white-billed form "is universally recognized by 

 the natives of Celebes as another bird." Between the highest authority on the Psittaci and the 

 greatest field-naturalist of the day it is difficult to decide ; and we must leave the question open 

 for further investigation. 



If the white-billed species prove distinct, it will have in strictness to take the title of 

 sumatranus of Raffles. And if both forms prove to be the same species, the title of millleri will 

 have to fall. In his remarks on Raffles's title, Dr. O. Finsch (/. c.) has somewhat misunderstood 

 Sir Stamford's words. That author distinctly left it to be understood that his P. sumatranus 

 was an indigenous Sumatran species. That it is not an inhabitant of Sumatra seems to be quite 

 established. 



Prionitueus, Waaler. t. 7 q ••• 



3. Prioniturus platurus (Kuhl), Consp. p. 43, " Nova Caledonia" (1820). P- ''^^• 



Psittacus setarius, Temm. PI. Col. 15, "Timor," errore (October 7, 1820). 



Prioniturus wallacei, Gould, Birds of Asia, pt. 14, "Celebes" (1862). 



Hah. Menado, Macassar (PF«//«(?f). 



Dr. O. Finsch in his great work (Papageien, ii. p. 395) has thoroughly disentano-led the 

 synonymy of this species, the true huhitat of which Mr. Wallace was the first to discover. The 

 existence of any species of the genus, much less of this one, in the island of Timor is quite 

 unauthenticated ; nor has this bird been found in New Caledonia. 



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