216 General Notes. fee 
with a colored plate, of the supposed unique type of Callaeops periophthal- 
mica Ogilvie-Grant, a bird purchased in Manila by the late John White- 
head, and now in the Tring Museum. Mr. Ogilvie-Grant compared the 
bird with Arses, but Whitehead thought it nearest to Terpsiphone, while 
Dr. Hartert affiliates it with Xeocephus. The latter ends his account with a 
reference to the literature of the species, omitting, however, two statements 
by McGregor which have much to do with the case. In the Philippine 
Journal of Science, II, A, No. 5, Oct., 1907, 340-342, pls. I-III, Mr. 
McGregor described Terpsiphone nigra, from Batan Island, north of Luzon, 
where he found it an abundant species. He called attention to its simi- 
larity to Callaeops, saying “ It also agrees with the meagre description of 
Callacops periopthalmica Grant; the latter, however, has no lengthened 
central rectrices and the type may be a young bird.”’ In the ‘ Manual of 
Philippine Birds,’ Part 2, p. 467, he says, “‘ The short-tailed black males of 
this flycatcher agree with the description of Callaeops periopthalmica, but 
the identity of the two species has not been established.” At the first 
place citéd he mentions the fact that the type of Callaeops was shot “ with 
a blow gun at Malabon, near Manila,’ a locality, he adds, ‘ entirely 
unsuited to birds of this kind.” 
On comparing some topotypes of Terpsiphone nigra with the plate of 
Callaeops, I find Mr. McGregor had good reason to suspect the identity of 
the two supposed species. In color they are identical, except for slight 
differences in the under tail-coverts; the appearance of the fleshy eye-ring 
is the same, and there are no differences in size or proportions aside from the 
length of the middle tail feathers. The last may be ‘explained on the 
ground that 7’. nigra, like some (possibly all) of the species of Terpsiphone, 
probably has a non-breeding plumage in which the males become short- 
tailed birds, as in Diatropura and some other groups. Oates (Fauna Brit. 
India, Birds, IJ, 1890, 46) says of 7. paradisi, “ the median tail-feathers 
grow to a great length, and are retained till May or June, when they are 
east.” Of 7. affinis, he writes “the male after the moult of the second 
autumn acquires two long median tail-feathers, but probably sheds them 
at the end of the breeding-season.’”’?’ McGregor visited Batan Island at the 
end. of May, when the birds were nesting, and the males collected by him 
are chiefly long-tailed ones. The date of capture of the type of Callaeops 
has not been recorded. 
Terpsiphone nigra, in full long-tailed plumage, has the next to the middle 
pair of rectrices considerably lengthened, as noted in the original descrip- 
tion. This character I do not find in 7. princeps (sometimes called atro- 
caudata, but the description of Muscipeta atrocaudata Eyton applies better 
to ‘ Callaeops’ than to T’.. princeps, and the type ought to be examined, if 
still extant) or 7’. owstoni, which appear to be its nearest relatives. These 
species, as well as a number of others examined in this connection all have 
fleshy rings round the eyes, and Hartert’s remark that Callaeops ‘ would 
thus only differ from all forms of Tchitrea [i. e., Terpsiphone} in having 
the ring or ‘‘ wattle ”’ of bare skin round the eyes ”’ is quite misleading, as is 
also his reference to Xeocephus as its ‘ real nearest relative.” 
