( 90 ) 



I ? a<l., Neosmapi I., Dorey, 13. xi. 18.^3. "Length 4')-4 cm. Iris sky-Mne."' 

 H. Guillemard coll. 



1 ad., " Fly River." Purchased fmm H. Whitely. 

 1 ad., British Js^ew Guinea. A. Goklie, 1870. 



1 ad., Nicnra. Lix coll. 



2 ??, Goodenongh Island, December 1896. "Iris bright blue, onter ring 

 white." A. S. Meek coll, Nos. 18, 19. 



1 ad., Fcrgnssou Island. A. S. Meek coll. 



1 ?,Woodlark I., 10. iii. 1807. "Iris pale sky-blue." A. S. Bleek coll.. 

 No. 130. 



2 (?c?, 1 ? , Sndest Island, Lonisiade group, March, April 1898. " Iris, c? light 

 blue, ? sky-blue, with whiter outer circle." A. S. Meek coll., Nos. UilS, 1645, 1714. 



1 S ad., St. Aignau, Lonisiade group, 20. viii. 1897. "Iris dirty white." 

 A. .S. Meek coll., No. 848. 



The specimens from the Louisiades belong distinctly to the larger form, 

 C. orrti orni. Our specimen from Waigiu is smaller than typical orni, wing 305, 

 but larger than those fnim New Britain. 



2. Corvus orru insularis Heinroth. 



CorvH.i ;h.s»?(;Ws Heinroth. J. f. <>. 1903. p. (j'.i (Typus : Gazelle-Halbinsel, Neu-Pommern = New 

 Britain). 



Dr. Heinroth has quite correctly separated the birds of New Britain from 

 those of New Guinea. He states that they differ by their smaller size and blue 

 iris of females and males. We find the smaller size the only difference, as the 

 alleged brown iris of the frmalrs is not confirmed by our females collected by 

 Meek, Doherty, and Klihu. The wings of our two examples from New Britain 

 measure : 292 and about 200 mm. (much worn), and the bills and wings and feet 

 are smaller than C. o. orru. 



Dr. Heinroth unites the crows from Waigiu and North Celebes (!) witli his 

 insularis. It seems indeed that specimens from Waigiu are, as a rule, smaller 

 than typical o>tu, but they have evidently larger bills and wings than insu/aris, 

 and it is desirable to study more material before advancing a theory of such a 

 peculiar distribution as " New Britain and Waigiu " for a subspecies — with the 

 whole of Papua between the two localities inhabited by another form. " North 

 Celebes " is even worse, being an absolute error. It is well known, and there is 

 snfBcient material in many museums (Tring, Dresden, London, for example) to 

 show that the Celebesian crow is Corvus enca. It is true that C. enca is most 

 similar to the small race of ('. orrx, Heinroth's insularis, having the same wing- 

 measurements, but it has generally a smaller bill and a less deep blackish, less 

 piirplish glossy underside (breast), and both sexes have always a deep lirown, 

 not bine, iris. (Cf. Meyer & Wigles worth, B. of Celebes ii.) 



It would perhaps be correct to treat C. orru as a subspecies of C. enca, but 

 in any case they are snfiSeiently distinct not to be confounded. The geograi)hical 

 distribution alone shonld have prevented Dr. Heinroth's uniting the Celebes crow 

 with that from New Britain. 



We have only two specimens : — 



(J ?, New Britain, lu. vii. 1880, November 1880. Native name " Kott Kott." 

 J. Kleinscbmidt coll. (No. 15,574 Museum Godeffroy, Nos. 275, 621 Kleiiischm. 

 coll.) 



