228 Major R. G. "Wardlaw Ramsay on 



What this bird, from the Island of Tanna, can be I do 

 not know. Mr. E. P. Ramsay suggests (/. c.) the likelihood 

 that it is the same species as the last, but it is difficult, from 

 his description, to realize such a possibility. Certainly none 

 of the four specimens described above approach to the re- 

 markable characters ascribed to M. mackinlayi. On the 

 other hand, it does not seem likely that an islaud of the size 

 of Tanna should contain two distinct species of small Macro- 

 pijffia. 



I append Mr. E. P. Ramsay's description of his type spe- 

 cimen : — 



" The whole of the upper surface dark ashy brown, darker 

 on the wings, the second, third, and fourth primary quills 

 with an inconspicuous narrow line of white on the outer 

 edge of the outer web; the rump and upper tail-coverts, 

 wing-coverts and scapularies minutely freckled with ashy 

 white, giving a powdery appearance to those parts : the 

 under surface is of a light ashy brown, blackish in the centre 

 of the chest-feathers, which are forked ; the throat and the 

 whole of the under surface minutely freckled with a light ashy 

 tint ; under wing-coverts and inner webs of quills ashy white ; 

 tail ashy brown, lighter below the outer feathers, above 

 blackish, the tips ash-white, and an oval cream-coloured 

 patch occupying the central portion of the feathers and 

 extending over the outer web to the base; the blackish 

 colour to the inner web extends in a wedge-shaped stripe along 

 the shaft ; the next feather similar, but without the whitish 

 mark on the inner web ; an oval oblique spot of cream-colour 

 on the inner web only on the third quill ; the fourth, fifth, 

 and sixth without spots and of a uniform ash-brown ; under 

 tail-coverts creamy white ; tarsi olive-brown ; bill black. 

 Total length 12 inches; bill from forehead 0*6, from base of 

 nostril 0"5 ; wing 6'1 ; tail to central feathers 6 - 8, to outer 

 3-6; tarsi 085, middle toe and nail 1.-05. Sex female. 



" Hab. Island of Tanna. 



" This interesting species has the peculiarity of having 

 the feathers forked as in some of the Ptilonopi. 



" Notwithstanding the great differences in coloration be- 



