Birds from British Neio Guinea. 375 



white^ with fuscous bases; under surface of wing brown, oE 

 tail fuscous : " iris brown ; beak black ; feet grey.'^ Length 

 163 mm., tail 83, wing 7Q, culmen 10, tarsus 17. 



"Male: (locality not given) July 7th, 1896; contents of 

 stomach, insects/^ 



This bird seems to have its nearest ally in the New- 

 Hebridean species R. melanolama, but the differences between 

 the two are sufficiently obvious. 



6. Rhipidura ALBicAUDA, sp. nov. 



Above, head and neck rufous brown; back, rump, and 

 upper tail-coverts chestnut; face, ear-coverts, and upper throat 

 greyish brown, becoming fawn on the lower throat, breast, 

 and abdomen ; lower abdomen, crissals, and under tail- 

 coverts chestnut ; inner greater and primary wing-coverts 

 rufous, with brighter rufous tips ; wing fuscous brown, with 

 deep rufous edges ; tail sordid white, with white shafts ; 

 metacarpal edge rufous : beak black, lower mandible pale horn 

 with dark tip ; legs and feet pale horn. Length 157 mm., 

 wing 68, tail 88, culmen 6"5, tarsus 22, 



The description is from a spirit-specimen. When wet the 

 edges of the rectrices are on the upper surface pale sienna- 

 brown to a greater or lesser extent, the medians showing 

 little more than the shaft white ; traces of this brown remain 

 on the tips when dry, 



7, Rhipidura oreas, sp. nov. 



Somewhat resembling R. maculipectus, but smaller, with 

 both upper and under surface grey and a feebler bill. General 

 colour above and below grey washed with brown; above 

 uniform ; wirgs and coverts dark brown, two or three of 

 the median and all of the greater series with small white 

 tips ; tail fuscous brown, strongly rounded, two outer rec- 

 trices tipped with white, the outermost largely, the penulti- 

 mate very narrowly ; front and face black ; lores, eyebrow, 

 upper ear-coverts, chin, upper throat, and a patch behind 

 lower coverts white ; lower breast and abdomen whity 

 brown, some feathers on upper breast with large white tips ; 

 under wing-coverts fuscous, with large tips of greyish white ; 



