SPECIES PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED. 49 



Anthracoceros montani (Oust.). 



Buceros montani Oust. Bull. Hebd. Assoc. Scien. de Fr. p. 206 1880. 

 Anthracoceros montani Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xvii. p. 370(1892). 



We were so fortunate as to secure aseries of fourteen specimens of 

 this rare horn- bill from Sulu and Tawi Tawi. The tail is pure white. 

 All other parts black, the feathers of back and wings glossed with 

 dark green. The bill in abult birds is coal black. In all of our adult 

 males the iris was nearly white while in the females it was dark 

 brown. Legs and feet dull leaden, nails black. Young birds have 

 tip of bill white or pale horn. 



Fairly common on the hills back of the town of Sulu and very 

 abundant in Tawi Tawi where it occurs in great flocks. It is a very 

 wild bird, always difficult to approach. Its cry is the most peculiar 

 bird note we have ever heard. It begins with a series of notes pre- 

 cisely like the "song" of a common hen magnified about fifty fold 

 and ends with an indescribable combination of cackles and shrieks. 



Three males average 28.12 inches in length. Wing, 11.52. Tail 

 9.51. Tarsus, 2.02. Seven females measure 26.73 inches in length. 

 Wing, 10.85. Tail, 8.90. Tarsus, 1.94. 



Collocalia francica (Gm.). 

 Collocalia francica (Gm.); Hartert, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 503 (1892). 



Hartert (J. f. O. 1891, p. 302) seems strongly inclined to doubt the 

 occurence in the Philippines of C. francica and suggests that the 

 birds so identified by Dr. Steere may have been C. marginata. Were 

 there no other distinction the great difference in the size of the two 

 species would make such a blunder impossible. 



We obtained a series of specimens in Culion and Panay which an- 

 swer the description of C. francica as given by Hartert (Cat. B. Brit. 

 Mus. xvi. p. 503) in every detail, having the band of smoky white 

 feathers with distinct black shaft stripes well defined on the rump. 

 Hartert states that the length of C. francica is "over four inches." 

 Our specimens measure 4.62 inches in length. Wing, 4.54. Tail, 1.97. 

 Culmen, .21. Tarsus, .37. 



Iris dark brown. Legs and feet light brown. Bill black. 



Surniculus velutinus Sharpe. 



Surniculus velutinus Sharpe; Shelley, Cat. B. Brit, Mus. xix. p. 230 (1891). 



Abundant in Basilan. A young bird from this island, two thirds 



grown, is light rusty brown in color, lightest on under surface. 



The crown and nape show metallic blue black feathers. One of the 



scapulars, many feathers of rump and all of tail same color, mostly 



