198 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.54. 



Family DICRURIDAE. 



DICRUROPSIS PECTORALIS SIRENSIS, new subspecies. 



SuhspeciJTC cliaracters. — Resembling Dicruropsis^ pedoralis solom- 

 hensis Oberholser,^ from Solombo Besar Island, but larger; frontal 

 hairs shorter or absent; black of upper parts deeper, richer, more 

 velvety, and more bluish (less brownish or greenish) ; hackles on sides 

 of neck more bluish or ])urplish (less greenish) ; metallic spots on 

 throat and breast more bluish (less greenish) ; posterior lower sur- 

 face of a deeper and more velvety (less brownish) black, with more 

 bluish (less greenish) sheen. 



Descrivtion.— Type, adult female, No. 1S1510, U.S.N.M.; Pulo 

 Mata Siri, Java Sea, December 8, 1907; Dr. W. L. Abbott. Upper 

 parts velvety black, with a slight violet or bluish sheen, but pileum and 

 a few pointed feathers on cervix, shining metallic bluish black, and 

 the upper tail-coverts shining metallic dull blackish green; tail black, 

 the external webs of rectrices more or less margined with shining 

 metallic dull blackish green ; wings black, becoming slightly brownish 

 on tips of primaries and on inner margins of all the quills ; the exposed 

 portions of all the superior wing-coverts, the tertials, outer webs of 

 secondaries, and outer webs of primaries, excepting distal portions, 

 shining metallic dull blackish green; sides of head and neck velvety 

 black with a slight violet sheen, the long pointed feathers on the 

 sides of the neck shining metallic dark delft blue; lower parts velvety 

 black with a slight violet or bluish sheen, the feathers of lower throat, 

 jugulum, and upper breast with short lanceolate tips of shining 

 metallic dusky dull bluish green, giving to these parts a spotted 

 appearance ; lining of wing black, with a bluish or bluish green shefen ; 

 "iris straw yellow." 



From Dicruropsis pedoralis leucops, which this new race resembles 

 more than it does Dicruropsis pedoralis solombensis Oberholser,^ 

 from Solombo Besar Island, it is separable by its rather duller upper 

 surface, longer hackles on sides of neck, and duller, more brownish 

 posterior lower parts. The two specimens in the collection are both 

 adults in good plumage. Their measurements follow. 



• For tl;e use of this generic name, see p. 185 ' See p. 184. 



