388 TROPICAL NATURE 



The Andaman islands are equally remarkable, at least six 

 of the peculiar birds differing from their continental allies in 

 being much lighter, and sometimes with a large quantity of 

 pure white in the plumage, 1 exactly corresponding to what 

 occurs among the butterflies. 



In the Philippines this is not so marked a feature ; yet we 

 have here the only known white-breasted kingcrow (Dicrurus 

 mirabilis) ; the newly discovered Eurylsemus steerii,- wholly 

 white beneath ; three species of Diceum, all white beneath ; 

 several species of Parus, largely white-spotted ; while many of 

 the pigeons have light ashy tints. The birds generally, how- 

 ever, have rich dark colours, similar to those which prevail 

 among the butterflies. 



In Celebes we have a swallow-shrike and a peculiar small 

 crow allied to the jackdaw, 2 whiter than any of their allies in 

 the surrounding islands, but otherwise the colours of the birds 

 call for no special remark. 



In Timor and Flores we have white-headed pigeons, 3 and 

 a long-tailed flycatcher almost entirely white. 4 



In Duke-of-York island, east of New Guinea, we find that 

 the four new species figured in the Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society for 1877 are all remarkable for the unusual quantity 

 of white in their plumage. They consist of a flycatcher, a 

 diceum, a wood-swallow, and a ground-pigeon, 5 all equalling 

 if- not surpassing their nearest allies in whiteness, although 

 some of these, from the Philippines, Moluccas, and Celebes, 

 are sufficiently remarkable in this respect. 



In the small Lord Howe's island we have the recently 

 extinct white rail (Notornis alba), remarkably contrasting with 

 its allies in the larger islands of New Zealand. 



We cannot, however, lay any stress on isolated examples 

 of white colour, since these occur in most of the great con- 

 tinents; but where we find a series of species of distinct 

 genera all differing from their continental allies in a whiter 

 coloration, as in the Andaman islands, Duke-of-York island, 



1 Kittacincla albiventris, Geocichla albigularis, Sturnia andamanensis, 

 Hyloterpe grisola var., lanthaenas palumboides, Osmotreron chloroptera. 



- Artamus monachus, Corvus advena. 



3 Ptilopus cinctus, P. albocinctus. 4 Tchitrea affinis, var. 



6 Monarcha vertically Diceum eximium, Artamus insignis, Phlogamas 

 jobannse. 



