( •'514 ) 



Hab. Snow Mountains, Dutch New Guinea ; type No. 4713, Snow Mountains, 

 4. ix. 1010, A. S. Meek CoJ]. 



1 cJ, 2 ? ; Snow Monntains, 2000 ft., September 1010. (Nos. 4687, 4713, 

 4714, A. S. Meek Coll.) 



2 (?, 1 ? ; Upiier Setekwa Kiver, July I'JIU. (Nos. 4410, 4431, 4432, A. S. 

 Meek Coll.) 



The Philemon novaegmneue is a very interesting species from the point of its 

 geographical variation. In 1003 {^Nok Zool. 190.^. pp. 449, 4.50) we acknowledged 

 three subspecies : P. novaeguineae nomiegidneae, subtuberosus, and jobiensis, and in 

 1912 {Nov. Zool. xix. pp. 204, 209) we quoted P. notaeguineae novaeguineae from 

 the Kumusi River and Haidana, Oollingwood Bay. The discovery of a new form on 

 the lower slopes of the Snow Mountains led us to reconsider these forms, and we 

 came to the following conclusions : 



P. novaeguineae novaeguineae extends from the Berau Peninsula (Arfak, 

 Dorey, Sorong, etc.) to Ron Island, Batanta, Waigiu and Mysol. — In 1903 we 

 united with it the Aru birds, and two examples said to have come from " Mt. 

 Maori " (Humboldt Bay) and the Ambernoh River. We must modify our views of 

 1903 somewhat, on account of more material received and of a more careful study. 

 J P. novaeguineae aniensis A. B. Mey. From a renewed comparison of a large 

 series we are inclined to separate the Aru form because the heads are after all generally 

 much paler, and the Jiuobs at the base of the culmen reach often a size which is 

 never developed in P. n. novaeguineae. 



P. 7iocaeguineae jobiensis A. B. Mey. Jobi Island and along the north coast of New 

 Guinea east of Geelvink Bay to German New Guinea (Konstantinhafen, Stephansort). 



P. noiMeguineae breripennis R. & H. Besides the specimens from the Snow 

 Mountains and Upper Setekwa River the following appear to belong to this form : 



Two males from Hall Bay, collected by D'Albertis, being specimens f^ and g' of 

 Salvadori's list in Orn. Pap. ii. p. 360. These two birds are too light and too small 

 for P. n. subtuberosus, but their wings are longer than in our P. n. brevipeiutis from 

 the Snow Mountains, measuring 147 and 150 mm. — An unsexed specimen said to be 

 from the Ambernoh River, and another said to be from "Mt. Maori," near Humboldt 

 Bay. The wings of these birds measure only 146 mm., and they agree otherwise 

 with our P. n. bredpennis. They were mentioned in Nov. Zool. 1903. p. 449. They 

 have been collected by Mr. J. Dumas, but were not received direct, but through Mr. 

 van Duivenbode, and their locality was given by word, as they were unlabelled. 



P. novaeguineae .subtuberosus Hart. Originally described from Fergusson 

 Island. Differing in the small hump at the base of the culmen, and the generally 

 duller colour, especially the more brownish underside. The specimens from 

 the Kumusi River and Collingwood Bay mentioned in Nov. Zool. xix. pp. 204, 209 

 agree best with P. n. subtuberosus, and not with P. novaeguineae novaeguineae ; the 

 two from the Kumnsi River might very well be united with P. n. subtuberosus, but 

 the two from ('ollingwood Bay have larger knobs than any from Fergusson Island, 

 though small for typical novaeguineae. 



i/188. Melirrhophetes belfordi griseirostris Rothsch. & Hart. 



Mdiri-hoiihftes helfonit ijriiseinidi-h Rothschild and Hartert, Hull. li.O. Club \x\\. p. 34 (December 

 VJll— Mt. Goliath, type No. 53.'^)H, A. S. Meek Coll.). 



6 (?, 4 ? ; Mt. Goliath, January and February 1911. (Nos. 5093, 6148, 5161, 

 6222, 5248, 6298, 5325, 5353, 63.54, 545.1, A. S. Meek t'oll.) 



