﻿N0.1134. 
  PHILIPPINE 
  ORNITHOLOGY— 
  WORCESTER 
  AND 
  BOURNS. 
  583 
  

  

  Dever 
  been 
  secured 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  islands 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  consider 
  its 
  occur- 
  

   rence 
  there 
  improbable. 
  The 
  tiuding 
  of 
  such 
  very 
  common 
  species 
  as 
  

   Pi/citOJwtKs 
  (joiarier 
  and 
  Pitt<t 
  atricapiUa 
  is 
  worthy 
  of 
  note 
  merely 
  

   beciause 
  we 
  failed 
  to 
  obtain 
  either 
  in 
  Eouiblon 
  and 
  Sibuyan. 
  

  

  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  Chibia 
  menagei 
  in 
  Tablas 
  is 
  an 
  ornithological 
  

   puzzle. 
  The 
  ouly 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  known 
  from 
  the 
  Philip- 
  

   piues, 
  Chibia 
  bornecnsis, 
  has 
  straggled 
  into 
  the 
  extreme 
  southwesteru 
  

   islands 
  from 
  Borneo. 
  The 
  only 
  exi^lanation 
  I 
  can 
  suggest 
  for 
  the 
  

   occurrence 
  of 
  this 
  well-ditferentiated 
  forin 
  in 
  Tablas 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  derived 
  

   from 
  wind-driven 
  stragglers 
  of 
  the 
  Palawan 
  si)ecies 
  {C. 
  pal(ticanensis), 
  

   from 
  the 
  northern 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  Palawan 
  group. 
  The 
  numerous 
  islets 
  

   and 
  shoals 
  intervening 
  would 
  afford 
  occasional 
  stopping 
  places, 
  and 
  

   are, 
  perhaps, 
  indicative 
  of 
  a 
  former 
  closer 
  connection 
  between 
  these 
  

   islands, 
  though 
  why 
  Chihia 
  should 
  have 
  reached 
  Tablas 
  and 
  be 
  absent 
  

   in 
  Mindoro 
  and 
  Panay, 
  if 
  it 
  came 
  by 
  this 
  route, 
  I 
  can 
  not 
  see. 
  

  

  A 
  second 
  oddity 
  is 
  Rhijndura 
  sanli, 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  close 
  ally 
  in 
  h'hijn- 
  

   dura 
  cj/<(nicei)s 
  of 
  Luzon. 
  

  

  lo'le 
  cinereiceps 
  \s 
  strikingly 
  different 
  from 
  lole 
  philip^nnensin, 
  the 
  cen- 
  

   tral 
  Philippine 
  form. 
  It 
  most 
  nearly 
  resembles 
  lole 
  monticola 
  of 
  Cebu. 
  

   Some 
  intermediate 
  form 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  may 
  yet 
  be 
  discovered 
  in 
  the 
  

   highlands 
  of 
  the 
  central 
  islands. 
  

  

  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  these 
  three 
  species, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  IHcaeum 
  

   intermedium 
  in 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  i). 
  dors((Je, 
  presents 
  an 
  obstacle 
  to 
  group- 
  

   ing- 
  this 
  island 
  with 
  the 
  central 
  Philippines, 
  which 
  is 
  greatly 
  aug- 
  

   mented 
  by 
  the 
  negative 
  characteristics 
  of 
  its 
  bird 
  fauna. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  29 
  species 
  previously 
  listed 
  as 
  especially 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  

   central 
  islands, 
  but 
  four 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  Tablas; 
  and 
  I 
  ought 
  to 
  state 
  

   here 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  large 
  series 
  of 
  Loriculus 
  regtdns 
  obtained 
  in 
  Tablas, 
  

   liomblon, 
  and 
  Sibuyan 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  male 
  was 
  found 
  with 
  as 
  much 
  

   orange 
  on 
  the 
  head 
  as 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  Panay 
  specimens 
  in 
  good 
  plumage. 
  

  

  Alci/one 
  is 
  almost 
  certainly 
  absent. 
  We 
  searched 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  

   small 
  streams 
  for 
  it 
  in 
  vain. 
  The 
  Bueerotidae, 
  Capitonidae, 
  and 
  

   Pieidae 
  have 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  species, 
  while 
  Dicrurus 
  is 
  replaced 
  by 
  Chibia. 
  

   Dicaeum. 
  hacmidostictiim 
  does 
  not 
  occur, 
  and 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  tailor- 
  

   birds 
  [Orthoiomtis) 
  is 
  especially 
  striking. 
  The 
  Timeliidae 
  are 
  without 
  

   a 
  representative. 
  Rh/ipidura 
  albiventris 
  is 
  replaced 
  by 
  B. 
  sauli 
  and 
  

   Artamides 
  panayensiH 
  by 
  A. 
  mindorensis. 
  

  

  These 
  facts, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  entire 
  absence 
  of 
  deer, 
  lead 
  me 
  to 
  the 
  

   conclusion 
  that 
  Tablas 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  connected 
  with 
  Panay, 
  at 
  least 
  

   since 
  the 
  latter 
  island 
  received 
  its 
  present 
  fauna. 
  

  

  Romblon 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  island 
  but 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  miles 
  from 
  Tablas. 
  At 
  present 
  

   it 
  is 
  almost 
  entirely 
  under 
  cultivation. 
  But 
  two 
  small 
  patches 
  of 
  forest 
  

   remain 
  on 
  the 
  island. 
  Of 
  the 
  47 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  which 
  I 
  found 
  there, 
  

   25 
  are 
  Philippine. 
  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  Baza 
  leucopaiSj 
  these 
  have 
  

   all 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  Tablas 
  also, 
  and 
  B. 
  leucopais, 
  originally 
  discovered 
  

   in 
  Palawan 
  and 
  since 
  found 
  in 
  Samar 
  by 
  us, 
  may 
  be 
  looked 
  for 
  almost 
  

   anywhere 
  in 
  the 
  Philippines. 
  

  

  