( 468 ) 



48. Pratincola caprata caprata L. 



1 (? jnv., Avera, Oroa River, 24. ii. l'JU3. A. S. Meek coll., No. A 287. " Iris 

 dark brown, feet blaek, bill vaiulyke-brown." 



This bird belongs evidently to the smiill race, which reaches along the Siiiida 

 Islands to the Moluccas, but is new to New Guinea. 



49. Pratincola caprata atrata Kelaart. 



rrathicnia ulrtila Kelaart apiid BIj'th, Jniirn. ,1s. .S'dc. B»iigiil xx. p. 177 (Ceylon). (About the 



correct name of this form see Oatos, B. ImJiii ii. p. (51.) 

 Poeciloihiias iiethiopn Scl., P. Z. .S. 1880. p. GG. PI. Vll. fig. 1 (New Britain, Brown coll.). 



We have one example obtaiaed on Mt. Scratchley. Neither we nor Dr. Sharpe, 

 whom we showed the bird, are able to separate it from the South Indian and 

 Ceylonese large form of P. caprata, the 1'. c. atrata, or from the type of 

 " Foecilodryas aethiopsr There is also a female in the British Museum (or 

 yonng bird) agreeing with the ? of the Pratincola. .' We cannot understand why 

 this bird has been placed in the genus Poecilodri/as, neither can we understand 

 its most remarkable, incredible distribution : Ceylon and iSouth India on the one, 

 New Britain and New Guinea on the other hand. It is possible that a series may 

 show that the South Indian and Papuan birds differ slightly from each other, but 

 so far we have found no difference whatever. 



50. Foecilodryas bimaculatus (Salvad.). 



Myiolestes (?) bimacululits Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Cie. Gen. vi. p. 84 (1874 : Putat, New Guinea). 



2 c?(?, 1 ?, 1 se.x not marked, Mt. Cameron, 3000 ft., August — September 

 1896. A. S. Anthony coll. 



i SS,1 ?, Avera, Aroa River, 20, 23, 28. ii., 2. iii. 1903. A. S. Meek coll., 

 Nos. A 258, 259, 283, 325, 337. " Iris burnt umber, bill and feet black." 



1 (?, 2 se.\ unknown, Mt. Maori, 3000 ft., January 1890. J. M. Dumas coll. 

 1, Dutch New Guinea. Bruijn coll. 



51. Poecilodryas hypoleuca (Gray). 



Pelrnira hjipnlriira Gray, P. Z. S. 18.0'J. p. 165 (Uorey). 



Poecilodryas nihuir A. B. Meyer, Sitzmiffsber. Ges, lals. Dresdrn 18H4. p. 27. 



1, Triton Bay, 25. vii. 1806. Capt. C. Webster coll. (From sjiirits.) 



3 (?c?, 1 ?, Kapaur, December 1896, February 1897. W. Doherty coll. "Iris 

 dark brown, feet purplish black, bill black." 



2 (?c?, 1 not sexed, Dorey, June 1897. W. Doherty coll. 

 " ? , Waigaraa, 11. v. 1867." (? From Brnijn's hunters.) 



1 c?, 2 ? ?, Waigiu, November 1902, January 1903. J. Waterstradt coll. 



1 S, Mysol, 31. i. 1900. H. Kiihn coll., No. 2009. "Iris bright brown 

 (coffee-brown), feet greyish black, bill black." 



5 <?<?, 3 ? ?, Takar, October— November 1896. W. Doherty coll. 



1 (?), Brown River, Brit. New Guinea, 1898. E. Weiske coil. 



1 (?), trade-skin from the Berau Peninsula. 



P. minor is evidently founded on females and immature specimens of 

 P. hyjioleuca. \\v have two s])rciinens agreeing fully with Meyer's diagnosis, 

 one of which is from Arfak, the other from the Brown River, British New 

 Guinea. 



