436 Mr. E. Bowdler Sharpe on 



I need not treat of the uniform-headed species, about 

 which there has been little or no discussion. 



Count Salvadori has divided the genus into three sections, 

 which are almost the same as my divisions, but they depend 

 ujion the relative length of the bill. If characters such as 

 the comparative length of the bill could always be depended 

 upon, they would be useful enough ; but it is generally 

 requisite that all the species should be laid on the table side 

 by side, so that one can judge of what is meant by " rostro 

 longiusculo '"' and '' rostro breviusculo.^' In the species of 

 Rectes it so happens that this difference of size of bill in the 

 sections of the genus is very strongly marked, and they fall 

 nearly into the three genera given by me in the ' Catalogue,' 

 as Rectes, Pseudorectes, and Melanoredes. Rectes cristatus 

 I had never seen in 1877, and I wrongly placed it in Rectes, 

 whereas I find now that it should be placed in the genus 

 Pseudorectes, and called Pseudorectes cristatus. 



It is principally with regard to the capped species of Rectes 

 that Count Salvadori and I differ ; for he considers that Rectes 

 dichrous and R. cirrhocephalus are separate species, whereas 

 I have united them together. He has also founded a new 

 species, Rectes decipiens, from North-western New Guinea. 



Since that time Dr. Meyer has added two new species to the 

 genus : R. rubiensis {' Ueber neue und ungeniigend bekannte 

 Vogel, Nester und Eier aus dem Ostiudischen Archipel,' 

 p. 38) and also R. analogus (Zeitschr. ges. Orn. i. p. 284). 

 He has lent me specimens of both these birds, and I am there- 

 fore able to form some idea of what they are like. 



One more species has also been named by D^Albertis and 

 Salvadori, Rectes brunneiceps, from the Fly River. 



Dr. Meyer lent me his series of specimens when I wrote the 

 * Catalogue,' and I came to the conclusion that the grey bird 

 was the young of R. dichrous, and I united the two under the 

 oldest name of i^. cirrhocephalus. This conclusion I arrived at 

 from a study of the series brought back by Dr. Meyer himself ; 

 but since the time that Count Salvadori determined that there 

 were two distinct species — one with a black head and another 

 with a grey one — Dr. Meyer has adopted this view also. 



As I am unable to prove that the grey-headed birds are the 



