﻿222 
  On 
  the 
  Javan 
  Species 
  of 
  Merula. 
  

  

  p. 
  280). 
  Fourteen 
  years 
  afterwards, 
  a 
  further 
  attempt 
  

   to 
  vindicate 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  supposed 
  new 
  species 
  was 
  

   made 
  (Sclater, 
  Ibis, 
  1875, 
  p. 
  344), 
  but, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  

   an 
  error 
  in 
  the 
  diagnosis, 
  the 
  distinctness 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   species 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  generally 
  recognized. 
  Both 
  species 
  are 
  

   described 
  as 
  ''' 
  supra 
  f 
  uscus 
  unicolor,^^ 
  the 
  characters 
  relied 
  

   upon 
  being 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  shaft-streaks 
  on 
  the 
  

   under 
  tail-coverts 
  and 
  the 
  white 
  feathers 
  round 
  the 
  vent 
  in 
  

   the 
  Timor 
  species. 
  Inasmuch 
  as 
  the 
  former 
  character 
  varies 
  

   so 
  much 
  with 
  age 
  and 
  sex, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  so 
  easily 
  lost 
  in 
  

   the 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  skin, 
  ornithologists 
  naturally 
  did 
  not 
  

   recognize 
  the 
  distinctness 
  of 
  the 
  Timor 
  sj)ecies 
  from 
  the 
  

   Javan 
  one, 
  which 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  range 
  west 
  to 
  Sumatra 
  

   and 
  north 
  to 
  Borneo. 
  We 
  now 
  learn, 
  however 
  (Biittikofer, 
  

   Notes 
  Leyd. 
  Mus. 
  xv. 
  p. 
  109), 
  that 
  the 
  Timor 
  bird 
  resembles 
  

   the 
  East- 
  Javan 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  pale 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  head, 
  neck, 
  

   and 
  throat, 
  but 
  differs 
  from 
  it 
  in 
  having 
  no 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  

   vent 
  or 
  under 
  tail-coverts. 
  It 
  thus 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  attempt 
  

   to 
  maintain 
  the 
  distinctness 
  of 
  the 
  Timor 
  species 
  was 
  based 
  

   upon 
  a 
  true 
  geographical 
  instinct, 
  though 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  

   arguments 
  for 
  the 
  defence 
  was 
  overlooked. 
  

  

  Two 
  other 
  very 
  closely 
  allied 
  Merula 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   Malay 
  Archipelago. 
  Merula 
  seebohmi 
  (Sharpe, 
  Ibis, 
  1888, 
  

   p. 
  386) 
  was 
  discovered 
  in 
  1888 
  on 
  Kina-Balu 
  in 
  North 
  

   Borneo, 
  and 
  Merula 
  celebensis 
  was 
  obtained 
  by 
  Mr, 
  Teys- 
  

   raaan 
  in 
  1877 
  at 
  Macassar 
  in 
  Celebes, 
  though 
  it 
  has 
  only 
  

   recently 
  been 
  described 
  (Biittikofer, 
  Notes 
  Leyd. 
  Mus. 
  

   XV. 
  p. 
  109) 
  . 
  The 
  new 
  species 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  closely 
  allied 
  

   to 
  Merula 
  seebohmi 
  and 
  Merula 
  celoenops, 
  having 
  the 
  chest- 
  

   nut 
  of 
  the 
  underparts 
  very 
  rich 
  in 
  colour 
  and 
  covering 
  the 
  

   whole 
  breast. 
  It 
  further 
  resembles 
  the 
  latter 
  species 
  in 
  

   having 
  the 
  upper 
  parts 
  below 
  the 
  neck 
  suffused 
  with 
  olive, 
  

   but 
  probably 
  dift'ers 
  from 
  it 
  in 
  having 
  the 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  belly 
  

   confined 
  to 
  the 
  vent. 
  

  

  