1879.] THE SAMOAN ISLANDS. 129 



This bird, for which I have been unable to find a name, belongs 

 to the small section of this genus the members of which have white 

 tips to the lateral tail-feathers. It certainly comes nearest the Fijian 

 P. vitiensis, with the British-Museum specimens of which I have 

 campared it. P. heinii is another allied species, but is still smaller 

 than P. vitiensis, besides differing in other respects (cf. Sharpe, Cat. 

 B. ill. p. 29Z et seq.). Dr. finsch and Mr. Sharpe, both of whom 

 are conversant with the members of this genus, on examining this 

 skin pronounced it to belong to an undescribed species. No 

 Pinarolesf.es has hitherto been recorded from the Samoan Islands. 



The type of this species, which I propose to dedicate to its dis- 

 coverer, has been deposited in the British Museum. 



Mr. Powell's letter gives the following account of this species: — 



" Vernac. name, ' Sagaolevas ' (Sa-nga-o-le-vas). A small agile 

 bird. Length 7" from the point of the beak to the tip of the tail, 

 wings rather longer thnn the body. Tail long, spreading. Feathers 

 of the head, back, wings, and tail brownish black ; the tliree outer 

 tail-feathers on each side tipped with white ; throat, breast, and 

 belly brownish slate ; sides brownish. Head large ; feathers of the 

 head erect. Appearance fierce ; voice harsh. Beak long, strong ; 

 and slightly notched at the tip, furnished with bristles at the base ; 

 nostrils near the base, round, slanting backwards; gape wide. Tongue 

 cartilaginous at the tip. Tarsi about 1" long. Toes, inner and outer 

 nearly of a length, shorter than the middle, the hinder one of which 

 is rather longer and stronger than the front one. Grasp strong. 



" Habits. This bird flies round and round persons coming into its 

 vicinity, keeping up a continual harsh cry, which the natives call 

 scolding ; it nevertheless keeps well ont of arm's length, and dodges 

 well. A native fired twenty times, and failed to get a specimen." 



2. Halcyon sacra. 



Halcyon sacra (Grm.) ; Sharpe, Mon. Alced. p. 223, pi. 85. 



Hab. Tutuila, Samoan Islands {T. Powell). 



The specimen sent agrees accurately with the central figure in 

 Mr. Sharpe's plate, which was drawn from a specimen said to have 

 come from Tongataboo. Mr. Sharpe unites the birds from the Fiji, 

 Friendly, and Samoan islands ; and I follow him in so doing ; but 

 should the Samoan bird prove distinct, the name it should bear is 

 Halcyon pealii, Finsch &Hartl. Orn. Centralpolyn. p. 38, it being the 

 Dacelo coronata, Peale (nee Miiller). 



3. Anous c.eruleus. 



Sterna cariilea, Bennett, Narr. Whaling Voy. ii. p. 248. 



Anous cceruleus, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 272. 



Hab. Tutuila, Samoan Islands (7'. Powell). 



The full synonymy of this species is given in Mr. Sharpe's Notes 

 on Birds from the Ellice Islands (/, c). Mr. Powell gives the total 

 length as 10 inches, and the expanse of the wings as 20 inches. The 

 native name in Samoa is " Laia." He says the bird is abundant in 

 some parts of Tutuila. 



Proc. Zool. Soc— 1879, No. IX. 9 



