( 588 ) 



also dark green ; sides of breast and upper abdomen, as well as under wing-coverts 

 (except just on the edge of the wing), red. Ilectrices from above dark green, blue 

 towards the tip, tip yellowish. Tail black below, with dirty yellow tips. " Iris 

 orange-ochre ; maxilla orange-red, with yellow tip ; mandible black." 



48. Tanygnathus megalorhynchus sumbensis Meyer. 



In 1882, in Verh. zool. bot. Ges. Wien, XXXI. p. 762, Dr. A. B. Meyer 

 described from Sumba a form of Tanygnathus megalorhynchus which he named 

 var. sumbensis. Salvador!, Cat. B. XX. p. 428 (1891), "greatly doubted whether 

 the asserted locality, Sumba, given on the authority of Dr. Iliedel, was correct." 

 It was therefore of great interest to me that among Doherty's birds I found a skin 

 of this form, collected in Sumba in February 1896. Unfortunately this skin is in 

 a very bad condition, but Dr. Meyer most kindly lent me two of the typical 

 specimens of his var. sumbensis, so that I could, with those two and the one 

 received from Doherty, make a careful comparison of the Sumba form with skins 

 from the Moluccas, New Guinea, Waigiou, Sangir, and Talaut. Salvadori, l.c., 

 states that he has " not been able to find any difference " between T. megalorhynchtts 

 and Meyer's var. sumbensis. However, I find that there are obvious differences 

 between the two forms, and that Meyer's observations were quite correct. Meyer 

 says : The underside is less yellow, but more greenish. This is decidedly so. 

 Especially the breast is remarkably green in the Sumba specimens. This character 

 varies a little, but the green breasts of the Sumba birds are very conspicuous. The 

 under wing-coverts are less yellow : so they are. The rump is very deep blue : 

 this is the case too, but there are specimens of T. megalorhynchus typicus which 

 approach and even quite resemble the Sumba birds herein. Another character 

 which strikes me in the Sumba specimens is the somewhat bluish tint on the back, 

 produced by the broad blue edges to the feathers. They are very often indicated in 

 T. meyalorliynchus typicus, but hardly ever so distinct and broad as in the three 

 Sumba birds now before me. * 



It is therefore evident that our bird must stand as T. megalorhynchus sum- 

 bensis Meyer. Doherty de>cribes the iris as yellowish, with a brownish outwardly 

 and a greenish inwardly border, the feet dull grey, beak all vermilion. 



Quite recently, antea, p. 176, I made known the most westerly locality 

 recorded for T. megalor/tyncltus. I may now add that, though no doubt they must 

 be grouped with T. megalorhynchus and not with the Sumba subspecies, some of the 

 specimens from Djampea htaud a little between the typical Moluccan form and 

 aumbensis, showing much of a greenish tinge on the breast and less bright under 

 wing-coverts. 



40. Ninox rudolfi A. B. Meyer. 



See Ibis, 1882, p. 232, PI. VI. 

 Two females of this beautiful owl. 



Wing 225230 mm. " Iris deep brown ; cere partly bluish, partly yellowish; 

 beak dull bluish white, commissure and tip blackish ; feet dull ochreous." 



*50. Strix flammea L. 



One skin, sex uncertain, above greyish ; tail pale buff, with blackish bars, below 



