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NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE. 



Vol. X. APEIL, 1903. No. 1. 



THE BIRDS OF THE OBI GROUP, CENTRAL MOLUCCAS. 



By ERNST HAETERT. 



EIGHT iu the middle of the !Moluccan Archipelago, between the Halmahera 

 group or Northern Moluccas, and the Southern .Moluccas (Ceram, Buru, and 

 Amboina), lies the little Obi group, consisting of one large island, Obi or Obi 

 iNlajor, and the small islands of Bisa, Tapa, Obi-latu (Obi-latoe), Lojang, Oomomo, 

 and a few other very tiny, insignificant islets. All the latter are so close to the 

 dominating, large central island of Obi Major that it is safe to suppose that their 

 fauna is the same, except that many of the forms found on the large island are 

 absent from the outlying islets ; and what we know of the birds from these small 

 islands bears out our supposition. 



The first explorer of Obi was the well-known traveller Bernstein, who for a 

 number of years explored the eastern islands for the Dutch Government. His 

 collections are preserved in the Leyden Museum. He discovered Lycocorax obiensis 

 and most of the other species peculiar to Obi, but they were chiefly described by 

 others. No collections were then made on Obi until, in October 1883, it was visited 

 by the yacht Marchesa, when a fair collection was made by Dr. F. H. H. Guillemard 

 and his party. The species are enumerated in the P. Z. S. 1885. pp. 562-9, and in 

 the " Cruise of the Marchesa." New discoveries were, however, not made, as the 

 collectors stayed only a few days and did not penetrate into the interior. The 

 next bird collector who landed in the ( )bi group was the late William Doherty, who 

 collected a good many birds there in September 1897. In 1898, from October to 

 December, Mr. Lucas, of Brussels, stayed on Obi Major, and employed some native 

 bird-skinners to collect for him. We are obliged to him for several rare and new 

 species. Last, but not least, Mr. John Waterstradt made a stay of some months on 

 Obi Major, and his natives made large collections of bird skins. They ascended 

 the hills in the interior, where they obtained the new Cryptolopha everetti imter- 

 stmdti and other interesting .species. 



The collections made by Bernstein are, as said before, in the Leyden Museum. 

 Of the birds brought home liy Dr. Guillemard the majority are in the Tring Museum. 

 Doherty's collection is also at Tring, as well as that of Mr. Lucas and a selection 

 from jNIr. Waterstradt's skins. 



We may safely assume that we are now acquainted with nearly all the resident 

 birds of Obi, and that only an ornithologist might still do valuable 'ornithological 

 work there. 



/,- Obi is well wooded — in fact, almost entirely clothed with forest — and the 



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