Recently published Ornithological Works. 469 



75. Hartert on the Birds of Wetter and other Islands near 

 Timor. 



[The Birds of the South-west Islands Wetter, Roma, Kisser, Letti, 

 and Moa. By Ernst Hartert. Nov. Zool. xi. p. 174 (1904).] 



Mr. Hartert writes on the birds of the " South-west 

 Islands/ - ' as the Dutch call them, which lie to the north and 

 east of Timor. He has already described those of Dammer 

 (Nov. Zool. 1900, p. 12), and now proceeds to tell us what 

 the indefatigable collector Kiihn has sent to Tring from 

 AYetter, Roma, Kisser, Letti, and Moa. In an article in 

 ' Notes from the Leyden Museum ' (xxii. p. 225), Dr. Finsch 

 lias already treated of the ornithology of some of these 

 islands from specimens in the Leyden Museum. But 

 additional materials are now at Tring, and, as it is here 

 pointed out, the subject is handled from a somewhat 

 different point of view, as Dr. Finsch is a strong adherent 

 of the old-fashioned binomialism, "not considering very 

 slight differences sufficient for specific separation/'' while to 

 Mr. Hartert "no differences are too slight for subspecific 

 separation, if connected with geographical separation." 



After a short description of the five islands of which 

 Wetter, only 40 kil. north of Timor, is the largest and has 

 some " very striking peculiar species " — such as Alopoccenas 

 hoedti, Sphecutheres hypoleucus, Stigmatops notabilis, and 

 Myzornela huehni, "although the Fauna is mostly Timorese/' 

 — the author gives us a general list of the species accompanied 

 by numerous notes and critical remarks. In all 140 species 

 and subspecies are catalogued, amongst which the following 

 are described as new to science : — 



Ptilonopus cincta ottonis, Ptilonopvs aanthogaster rufi- 

 pilcum, Halcyon austialasia intcrposita, H. enigma, Cyornis 

 hyacinthina kuehni, Gerygone Msserenis sequens, Rhipidura 

 ri'Jircitfris paftidiceps, Pachycephnla par, P. par compar, 

 Cinnyris Solaris exqirisita, C. s. degener (ex Florcs), Oriulvs 

 flavo-cincttis migrator, Oriolus finschi } and Calornis kudmi. 



