1877.] 



THE ISLAND OP ZEBU. 



539 



62. Meg.-^podius pusillus, n. sp. (Plate LXXVIII. in orig.) 



[Cebu, male, March. Iris dark hazel, bill dark brown, legs very dark brown, nearly black. 1 



The upper surface rich ruddy yellowish (almost golden) brown. Uropygium and upper 

 tail-coverts and rectrices brown. Chin and throat dirty yellowish brown, the feathers being 

 light grey at their insertion. Neck and upper breast slate-grey tipped with ruddy brown. 

 Lower breast, abdomen, and flanks slate-grey, but faintly washed with ruddy brown. Ventral 

 region paler grey tinged with ochreous brown. Thigh-coverts distinct ruddy, almost rusty, 

 brown. Under tail-coverts dull ashy brown. Primaries uniform brown. Secondaries maro-ined 

 externally with the hue of the back. Tertiaries and wing-coverts like the back. Sides of head 

 and forehead slightly paler than the head. 



Wing G-25, tarsus 1'70, middle toe without claw 1, ciUmen 0*64. 



This small Megapode has the ophthalmic region, throat, and neck densely clothed, and 

 belongs to a type difl"erent from M. cumingi. 



Mr. Sharpe has lately (P. Z. S. 1875, p. Ill) separated the Bornean Megapode from the 

 then only kno\vn Philippine species, and given the title of M. lowii to the Bornean (Labuan\ 

 species. That the Philippine and Bornean naked-faced Megapodes differ specifically seems to be 

 established ; but it would appear that the Philippine and not the Bornean species requires a 

 new title. Mr. Sharpe proceeds on the assumption that Mr. Dillwyn described from and 

 bestowed the title of M. eumhigi (P. Z. S. 1851, p. 119, t. xxxix.) on Cuming's Philippine 

 (Manila I) examples. But neither the context nor the descriptions and dimensions, the last on 

 Mr. Sharpe's own showing, appear to support his conclusion. Mr. Dillwyn (I. c.) considered 

 the Labuan Megapode to belong to the same species as that sent by Mr. Cumino- to the British 

 Museum from the Philippines ; and the point of difficulty is whether Mr. Dillwyn described (I c.) 

 his M. cumingi from Motley's Bornean examples or from Cuming's Philippine specimens. 

 Mr. Dillwyn described his type as being " blackish slate-colour " below, and he fio-ured the bird 

 [1. c.) dark (blackish) slate-colour below. Mr. Sharpe, when differentiating the Bornean from 

 the Philippine Megapode, says [l. c.) that the Labuan specimens sent to the British Museum by 

 Mr. Lowe are smaller and darker than the Philippine birds, especially on the breast which is 

 deep plumbeous grey, whereas in the Philippine bird the under surface is brownish washed with 

 grey. If we compare the dimensions given by Mr. Dillwyn of his type of M. cumingi with those 

 given by Mr. Sharpe [l. c.) of his M. lowii (ex Labuan^ and of the Philippme bird, it will be found 



P.Z.f!.1877, 

 p. 706. 



