ON BIRDS FROM THE SAMOA ISLANDS. 43 



calcareous particles." "No. 129, $. Same as 128." "No. 142, $. 

 Same as 128." 



37. BALLUS PECTOEALIS, Gld. 



liallus pcctoralis, Gld. B. Austr. vi. pi. 76. 



Two males and a young female, from Raine Island, of this well- 

 known species. The voung bird, No. 130, resembles the old one P. Z. S. 1878, 

 generally in coloration, but has all the colours duller, the transverse P- 128< 

 barring of the lower surface much less conspicuous and altogether 

 wanting on the breast, the white spots of the scapularies absent, those 

 on the wing-coverts smaller, and those on the tertiaries also smaller, 

 and tinged with rufous ; the primaries also are less conspicuously banded 

 with rufous. 



"Nos. 126, 127, males. Eyes red, upper mandible dark, the lower 

 with a slight red tinge, feet light brown. Stomach contained beetles, 

 egg-shells, and small calcareous particles." 



11. ON A SMALL COLLECTION OF BIRDS FROM THE P. z. s. 1878, 

 SAMO AN ISLANDS AND THE ISLAND OF ROTUMAH, p ' J 

 CENTRAL PACIFIC.* 



MR. SCLATER has lately put into my hands for determination a small 

 collection of birds from the above localities, made by the Rev. G-. Brown, 

 C.M.Z.S., of the Wesleyan Mission. It consists of 47 skins referable 

 to 19 species. Of these all but 4 skins, of two species, are from the 

 Samoan Islands of Upolu and Savaii, and are well known already as 

 inhabitants of these islands. They require no further notice here, except 

 one. 



PACHTCEPHALA ICTEROIDES, Peale; Finsch & Hartl. Faun. Centr.- 

 Polyn. p. 76. 



Three examples of this species, in different stages of plumage, though 

 none are quite adult, traces of the rufous plumage of immaturity 

 remaining to a greater or less extent. All are marked " from Upolu ;" 

 and the native name given is " Vasavasa." Mr. Layard (P. Z. S. 1876, 

 p. 494) doubts the occurrence of this species in Samoa, and refers the 

 bird from those islands to P.flavifrons (Peale), which, as Dr. Finsch has 

 shown (J. f. O. 1872, p. 39), is the adult male of P. icteroides. 



* Proc. Zool. Soc. 1878, pp. 351-353. Read March 19, 1878. 



