﻿NO. 
  1134. 
  PHILIPPINE 
  ORXITHOLOG 
  T— 
  WORCESTER 
  AXD 
  BOVR 
  NS. 
  617 
  

  

  off'spiiiig 
  of 
  different 
  species, 
  in 
  balancing- 
  the 
  probabilities 
  in 
  snch 
  a 
  

   case. 
  

  

  8. 
  The 
  actnal 
  result 
  would 
  probably 
  depend, 
  then, 
  on 
  tbe 
  relative 
  

   completeness 
  of 
  the 
  adaptation 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  species 
  to 
  the 
  common 
  envi- 
  

   ronment 
  under 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  placed. 
  If 
  equally 
  well 
  adapted 
  to 
  

   their 
  surroundings, 
  both 
  would 
  continue 
  to 
  exist. 
  If 
  not, 
  one 
  species 
  

   would 
  tend 
  to 
  exterminate 
  the 
  other. 
  

  

  POSSIBILITIES 
  OF 
  FUTURE 
  ORNITHOLOGICAL 
  WORK 
  IX 
  THE 
  

  

  PHILIPPINES. 
  

  

  Before 
  we 
  gain 
  much 
  additional 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  

   factors 
  in 
  the 
  origin 
  and 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  genera 
  and 
  species 
  of 
  resi- 
  

   dent 
  Philipi)iue 
  land 
  birds, 
  work 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  different 
  character 
  from 
  

   most 
  of 
  that 
  which 
  has 
  as 
  yet 
  been 
  attempted 
  must 
  be 
  carried 
  on. 
  

  

  Conclusive 
  proof 
  of 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  bringing 
  together 
  two 
  closely 
  allied 
  

   species 
  might 
  be 
  obtained 
  by 
  introducing 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Loriculus 
  

   into 
  Palawan 
  or 
  the 
  Calamiaiies 
  islands, 
  where 
  the 
  genus 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  

   lacking, 
  and 
  noting 
  the 
  result. 
  Would 
  both 
  forms 
  hold 
  their 
  own, 
  

   would 
  they 
  fuse, 
  or 
  would 
  one 
  tend 
  to 
  exterminate 
  the 
  other? 
  These 
  

   questions 
  have 
  no 
  little 
  theoretical 
  interest, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  entirely 
  capa- 
  

   ble 
  of 
  practical 
  solution. 
  

  

  Individuals 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  species 
  of 
  some 
  genus 
  with 
  a 
  marked 
  tend- 
  

   ency' 
  to 
  develop 
  local 
  forms, 
  such 
  as 
  Chrysocolajitcs, 
  Iijngipicus, 
  or 
  

   Penelopides, 
  might 
  be 
  introduced 
  into 
  Siquijor 
  or 
  some 
  other 
  similarly 
  

   isolated 
  island, 
  and 
  their 
  offspring 
  watched, 
  to 
  see 
  if 
  a 
  new 
  species 
  

   would 
  in 
  time 
  develop, 
  under 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  changed 
  environment. 
  

   True, 
  the 
  experimenter 
  would 
  prol)ably 
  not 
  live 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  his 
  

   work, 
  but 
  future 
  generations 
  of 
  ornithologists 
  might 
  be 
  indebted 
  to 
  

   him. 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  an 
  ordinary 
  lifetime, 
  however, 
  one 
  might 
  make 
  

   a 
  detailed 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  facts 
  of 
  individual 
  variation 
  in 
  those 
  

   si)ecies 
  which 
  show 
  a 
  marked 
  tendency 
  to 
  develop 
  local 
  forms 
  as 
  com- 
  

   pared 
  with 
  those 
  that 
  seem 
  to 
  lack 
  such 
  a 
  tendency. 
  He 
  might 
  also 
  

   learn 
  an 
  immense 
  amount 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  birds, 
  their 
  foods, 
  

   and 
  especially 
  their 
  relationships 
  with 
  each 
  other, 
  with 
  other 
  organisms, 
  

   in 
  short, 
  with 
  their 
  environment 
  in 
  general. 
  We 
  know 
  very 
  little 
  

   about 
  this 
  subject 
  at 
  present, 
  and 
  without 
  information 
  bearing 
  on 
  it 
  

   we 
  can 
  not 
  arrive 
  at 
  satisfactory 
  conclusions. 
  

  

  To 
  take 
  a 
  single 
  illnstratioii, 
  Pycnonotus 
  goiainer 
  is 
  almost 
  certainly 
  

   lacking 
  in 
  Siquijor. 
  Why 
  should 
  this 
  commonest 
  of 
  Philippine 
  birds 
  

   not 
  occur 
  there! 
  Certainly 
  not 
  because 
  it 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  reached 
  the 
  

   island. 
  Apparently 
  not 
  from 
  lack 
  of 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  suitable 
  food. 
  Prob- 
  

   ably 
  from 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  some 
  enemy, 
  at 
  present 
  entirely 
  unknown 
  

   to 
  us. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  led 
  by 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  our 
  work 
  in 
  Siquijor, 
  Tablas, 
  and 
  Sibuyan 
  

  

  