﻿582 
  I'llOCEKDlXaS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM. 
  

  

  Tlie 
  occnirence 
  of 
  these 
  three 
  peculiar 
  specdes 
  on 
  an 
  ishiiul 
  which 
  

   has 
  recently 
  been 
  heaved 
  \\\) 
  from 
  beneath 
  the 
  sea 
  would 
  present 
  un 
  

   interesting- 
  problem 
  to 
  nonbelievers 
  in 
  evolution. 
  How 
  did 
  these 
  

   species 
  get 
  into 
  Si(|uijor? 
  There 
  are 
  but 
  two 
  possible 
  theories: 
  They 
  

   are 
  the 
  niodilied 
  descendants 
  of 
  species 
  that 
  liave 
  straggled 
  into 
  the 
  

   island, 
  or 
  a 
  special 
  creative 
  act 
  has 
  recently 
  been 
  necessary, 
  in 
  order 
  

   to 
  populate 
  Siquijor 
  with 
  birds. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  no 
  Megapodiidae., 
  Turnicidae, 
  Buceroti- 
  

   dae, 
  Ccqntonidae, 
  l*icid<(e, 
  Dicruridae, 
  Sittidac, 
  Pfiriddc, 
  or 
  TimelUdae 
  

   are 
  known 
  from 
  the 
  island, 
  although 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  families 
  is 
  repre- 
  

   sented 
  in 
  the 
  islands 
  innnediately 
  adjacent. 
  

  

  TABLAS, 
  ROMBLON, 
  AND 
  SIBUYAN. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  aware, 
  the 
  only 
  collections 
  of 
  birds 
  ever 
  obtained 
  from 
  

   these 
  islands 
  are 
  those 
  made 
  there 
  by 
  m 
  self 
  in 
  1892. 
  I 
  had 
  hoped 
  

   for 
  much 
  from 
  Slbuyan, 
  knowing 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  suriounded 
  by 
  water 
  of 
  

   considerable 
  depth, 
  but 
  I 
  fully 
  ex])ected 
  to 
  find 
  old 
  friends 
  in 
  the 
  birds 
  

   of 
  Tablas. 
  The 
  results 
  of 
  my 
  work 
  show 
  very 
  conclusively 
  the 
  folly 
  of 
  

   attempting 
  to 
  draw 
  a 
  priori 
  conclusions 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  avifaunae 
  of 
  adjacent 
  

   islands 
  from 
  their 
  geographical 
  relationship 
  as 
  shown 
  on 
  a 
  chart 
  which 
  

   does 
  not 
  give 
  accurately 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  between 
  them. 
  Tablas 
  

   is 
  a 
  well-wooded 
  island 
  some 
  30 
  nules 
  in 
  length, 
  by 
  8 
  to 
  10 
  in 
  width. 
  

   A 
  range 
  of 
  high 
  hills 
  runs 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  soutii 
  near 
  the 
  east 
  coast. 
  

  

  During 
  my 
  stay 
  in 
  the 
  island 
  I 
  was 
  in 
  such 
  poor 
  health 
  as 
  not 
  once 
  

   to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  set 
  foot 
  in 
  the 
  forest. 
  I 
  was 
  fortunate 
  in 
  having 
  with 
  me 
  

   as 
  a 
  hunter, 
  however, 
  Mateo 
  Francisco, 
  a 
  Philippine 
  native, 
  who 
  was 
  

   brought 
  to 
  this 
  countiy 
  as 
  a 
  boy 
  by 
  Steere 
  in 
  1874, 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  Phil- 
  

   il)pines 
  with 
  us 
  in 
  1887 
  and 
  shot 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  brought 
  

   back 
  by 
  Steere 
  in 
  1888. 
  He 
  remained 
  at 
  his 
  old 
  home 
  in 
  Mindanao 
  

   when 
  we 
  left 
  the 
  islands, 
  and 
  we 
  picked 
  him 
  up 
  there 
  in 
  1891, 
  His 
  

   familiarity 
  with 
  the 
  birds 
  and 
  their 
  ways 
  was 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  I 
  could 
  

   easily 
  direct 
  his 
  work, 
  sending 
  him 
  for 
  anything 
  I 
  desired, 
  and 
  I 
  felt 
  

   great 
  confidence 
  in 
  his 
  statements 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  occurrence 
  or 
  nonoccurrence 
  

   of 
  the 
  commoner 
  forms. 
  

  

  Fully 
  expecting 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  Tablas 
  identical 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  

   Panay, 
  I 
  was 
  pleasantly 
  surprised 
  when 
  Mateo 
  brought 
  in 
  on 
  the 
  first 
  

   day 
  an 
  lole 
  larger 
  than 
  any 
  previously 
  discovered 
  in 
  the 
  Philippines, 
  

   and 
  a 
  fine 
  new 
  Chihia. 
  During 
  my 
  stay 
  in 
  the 
  island 
  he 
  brought 
  me 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  71 
  species 
  of 
  birds, 
  of 
  which 
  4 
  were 
  new. 
  

  

  Thirty-six 
  Philipi)ine 
  species 
  were 
  obtained. 
  The 
  following 
  have 
  

   probably 
  come 
  in 
  fnmi 
  Panay: 
  

  

  1. 
  I'hahotievon 
  nigrornm. 
  5. 
  AiilhreptcH 
  chlor'Kjuister. 
  

  

  2. 
  Frionittiriis 
  (lisciirus. 
  6. 
  Hylotcrpe 
  winchclH. 
  

  

  3. 
  Loricuhts 
  reijiiJus. 
  7. 
  Pycnovotiis 
  (/oiavier. 
  

  

  4. 
  Aethopiffia 
  maynifiva. 
  8. 
  ruta 
  africapilla. 
  

  

  Cei/x 
  hournsi 
  and 
  Halcyon 
  ivincJielli 
  may 
  liavc 
  followed 
  the 
  same 
  route. 
  

   The 
  former 
  was 
  obtained 
  in 
  Neiiios 
  1)\- 
  )is. 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  latter 
  has 
  

  

  \ 
  

  

  