1875.] THE PHILIPPINE AECHIPELAGO. 375 



Treron amboinensis (Miiller), ap. G. R. Gray, Hand-list, no. 9079, nee Miiller. 

 Treron aromatica (Gm.), ap. Schlegel, Nedeii. Tijdschr. Dierk. 1863, p. 64, " Philippines," 

 nee Gm. ; Mus. Pays-Bas, ColimihcB, p. 53 (March 1873) ; Bp. Icon. Pig. pi. 7. 



Ilab. Luzon, Guimaras, Negros {Meyer). 



A large series of the Philippine maroon-backed Osmotreron was obtained by Dr. Meyer 

 from the localities cited ; and they in no way dift'er among one another. They belong to the 

 same subsection as Osmotreron aromatica (Gm.) of the Moluccas {cf. Wallace, P. Z. S. 1863, 

 p. 33, & Ibis, 1863, p. 319), in which the undercoverts of the tail in both sexes are white, or 

 yellowish white, without any markings. From the Moluccan species 0. axillaris it differs in 

 being somewhat larger, by having a large and very powerful bill, by the maroon mantle covering 

 a larger surface of the back and being of a lighter shade, and by the ventral plumage and the 

 thigh-coverts being almost bright yellow mixed with very dark green. The middle toe measures 

 one inch, and in 0. aromatica an eighth less ; the corneous part of the maxilla seven-sixteenths 

 against five-sixteenths of an inch in the Moluccan bird. 



The title axillaris refers to the black edge of the shoulder in this species {fide Bp. Icon. 

 Pig.). This part and the lesser shoulder-coverts are nearly black, being very dark slate-colour 

 in fully adult males. 



Professor Schlegel (Mus. Pays-Bas, Columbw, p. 53) makes 0. axillaris, G. R. Gray, apud 

 Bp. Consp. ii. p. 13, equal to T. griseicauda, G. R. Gray ; but Bonaparte's diagnosis does not 

 agree with either 0. axillaris or 0. aromatica. 



Wagler states (Syst. Av. Columba, no. 8) that he saw a specimen of his Columba {Osmotreron) 

 fulvicoUis among a number of Philippine birds sent to Amsterdam. Prince Bonaparte (Consp. 

 ii. p. 14) also cites the Philippines as being within the range of that species. I can find no other 

 evidence of its Philippine habitat ; and Wagler does not include the Philippines when writing on 

 the species at a subsequent date (Isis, 1829, p. 738). 



Great confusion still prevails in the synonymy of the " maroon-backed " members of tne 

 genus Osmotreron; and I therefore add a list of the ten species known to me as falling under 

 this definition : — 



Under tail-coverts creamy white and immaculate in both sexes. rp^, 2, s. ix. 



(1) Columba amboinensis, L. S. Miiller, Suppl. p. 132, no. 35, ex PL Enl. 163 * (1776). P" "^^ 

 Columba aromatica, Gm. S. N. i. p. 778, no. 47, "Amboina," ex Brisson, Orn. i. p. 145, 



no. 39, "Amboyna." 



Hab. Bouru and Amboyna ( Wallace). 



(2) Treron axillaris, G. R. Gray, I. c, "Philippines." 

 Hab. Luzon, Negros, Guimaras {Meyer). 



* Baffon (H. N. Ois. ii. p. 528) expressly states that this figure "was taken from Brisson's Pigeon vert d'Amboine. 



3c2 



