1873.] DR. O. F1NSCH ON LAMPROLIA VICTORIA. 735 



tholcea, Cab. (type Saxicola albifrons, Riipp.), of the subfamily 

 Saxicolinse. I may add tbat, according to my view, Thamnobia, 

 Sw. (type Motacilla fulicata, L.), is scarcely separable from Pen- 

 tholcea. Amongst Australian and Polynesian genera Petroica is the 

 nearest ally, but easily distinguished by its long wings, with the very 

 prominent point of the primaries, and by its long tail. 



Lamprolia Victoria, Finsch, sp. nov. (Plate LXII.) 



Biagn. Jet-black ; feathers on head and neck tipped, scale-like, 

 with shining steel-blue ; rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail partly 

 silky white. 



Descr. av. ad. Jet-black ; mantle and shoulders velvet-black, the 

 same as the outer webs of the secondaries, which latter in certain 

 lights exhibit a purplish gloss ; the feathers on the head, sides of 

 head and neck, on the chin and throat, as well as the smallest wing- 

 coverts along the cubitus, tipped with oblong apical spots of a rich 

 shining steel-blue, which in certain lights changes into glossy green ; 

 feathers on the occiput, nape, and hind neck show the same struc- 

 ture, but the apical tips are glossy purplish violet, changing into 

 steel-blue or green ; lores deep jet-black ; rump and upper tail- 

 coverts shining silky white, the same as the two middle tail-feathers, 

 which are broadly tipped with black, glossed strongly with purplish 

 violet ; the remaining tail-feathers black, and only on the outer web 

 shining silky white, which on the outer feathers is more restricted, 

 showing a gradually broader black apical portion ; the outermost 

 tail-feather uniform black ; bill aud feet black. 



The specimen from which the above description was taken is un- 

 doubtedly an old bird in full dress, and apparently a male ; the 

 second specimen agrees in every respect, except that the wings are a 

 little shorter and the point of bill shows scarcely any emargination ; 

 it may perhaps be a female. This new bird is a native of the yet 

 unexplored island of Vuna, or Taviuni, of the Feejee group, which, 

 separated only by the Somo-Somo passage, lies a few miles east of 

 the south-east point of Vanua-Levu, one of the main islands of that 

 group. A collector's note says, "The small black bird, native name 

 ' Kaya,' from top of mountains, Taviuni, has the habits of a perch- 

 ing bird or Robin ; eyes dark brown." 



I have great pleasure in naming this most remarkable and bril- 

 liant new species Lamprolia Victoria, in honour of Her Imperial and 

 Royal Highness Victoria, Crown-Princess of the German Empire 

 and of Prussia. 



