IS/8.] MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE GENUS PTILOPUS. 573 



Ptilopus bernsteini, Schleg. Nederl. Tijdsch. 18G3, p. 59, pi. iii. 

 fig. 1. 



Ptilonopus ochrogaster, Bernst. Journ. fiir Ornith. 1864, p. 408. 



Ptilopus ochrogaster, Bernst. Nederl. Tijdsch. 1865, p. 324. 



Carpophaga bernsteini, Wall. Ibis, 1865, p. 388. 



Megaloprepia bernsteini, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (1875) 

 vol. vii. p. 788. 



Hab. Halmahera, Ternate, Batchian, Obi (Bernstein) ; Gilolo 

 (Wallace). 



This and the next three species have heen placed by some authors 

 in Reichenbach's genus Megaloprepia. It seems very evident that 

 at least some of the species which he placed in his genus were not 

 known to Reichenbach autoptically, or else when desiring to sepa- 

 rate certain members of the genus Ptilopus geuerically from the 

 others he would probably not have selected Pt. perlatus, with its 

 short tail and narrow rectrices, as one of those especially fitted to 

 go with the present and the succeeding ones. I fail to see any cha- 

 racters whatever that should cause this bird and Pt. magnificus, 

 with its two races, to be separated generically from Ptilopus. The gra- 

 dation from Pt. leclancheri, through Pt. gu laris, cinctus, albocinctus, 

 bernsteini, puellus, and assimilis, is complete between the moderate- 

 sized, comparatively short- tailed species of Ptilopus and the large Pt. 

 magnificus, which brings the genus into Carpophaga. In his dia- 

 gnosis of Megaloprepia, Reichenbach gives no character that may 

 not equally apply to Ptilopus ; and it seems to me to be a division 

 highly artificial, and in no way necessary. 



This species was first described by Gray (/. c.) ; hut as he had 

 already bestowed the name formosus upon another species of Ptilopus, 

 his appellation cannot stand ; and even for those authors who place 

 this bird in Megaloprepia, to avoid confusion, it is better to con- 

 tinue the name bestowed by Schlegel. 



Male. Head and neck greenish grey ; breast, back, wings, and tail 

 bright green. In the middle of the lower part of the breast a large 

 spot of rich deep red. Abdomen and flanks yellowish ochre ; under 

 tail-coverts brownish yellow-ochre. Bill black, tip yellowish ; feet 

 black. Total length 11^- inches, wing 5|, tail b\, culmen |-. 



Female. Like the male, but wants the red spot on the breast, and 

 has the neck light greeu. 



It may be seriously questioned if the three following races should 

 be continued as distinct species. They only differ in size ; and this 

 is very variable even among those examples acknowledged as repre- 

 senting one of the species. The localities of the forms also seem to 

 have no recognizable bounds ; and while the island form puella is 

 the smallest, yet at Cape York it meets its large relative magnificus, 

 which here, according to Mr. Ramsay, is very variable in size, and 

 which, if the bird is distinct, ought not to be found at all in this 

 part of the continent, which should be reserved for assimilis. I 

 have no doubt that in a large series of examples from various 

 'localities the small puella would graduate directly up to magnificus, 



