1885.] DURING THE VOYAGE OF THE YACHT ' MARCHESA.' 269 



48. Ptilopus melanocephalus, Forster. 



Ptitopus melanocephalus, Wald. P. Z. S. 1878, p. 9.51 ; id. ident. 

 1879, p. 73. 



Hab. Mindanao {Everett) ; Basilan (Everett) ; Su\a (Guillemard) ; 

 Celebes {Guillemard). 



a, b. c? • Sulu Island. 



Iris yellow ; bill greenish ; tarsus coral. Length 22*5 centims., 

 wing 1 1*8 centims. These Sulu examples do not diifer from Cele- 

 bean skins {P. melanospilus of Salvadori), excepting in having the 

 yellow gular patch slightly paler and broader. 



49. Ptilopus formostjs (G. R. Gray). 



Lamprotreron formosa, G. R. Gray, P. Z. S. 1860, p. 360; 

 Wallace, Ibis, 1865, p. 379 ; Walden, Tr. Z. S. viii. p. 82. 



Hab. CelobQs {Wallace) ; Snlu {Guillemard). 



a. d" • Sulu Island. 



Iris sea-green ; bill green, reddish at base ; tarsus greenish olive. 

 Length 29*5 centims. ; wing 14'4 centims.. 



P. formosus of Gray can be at once recognized as distinct from 

 the Moluccan and Papuan P. superbus, (1) by the strong violet 

 tinge of the upper breast, which merges into the dark pectoral band, 

 and, (2) by the violet of the head being conterminous with the ruddy 

 orange of the cervix, there being no intervening greenish band. 

 The present Sulu example shows both these distinctions, but appears 

 to be of somewhat larger size, and is characterized by the absence of 

 the maillee appearance of the breast, due to the small number of 

 feathers that are bifid. The following are the comparative admeasure- 

 ments in centimetres : — 



Length. Wing. 



P. formosus, Celebes {Wallace) 26-5 12-6 



„ „ {Guillemard) 250 13-2 



„ SuXu {Guillemard) 29-5 13-4 



50. Phabotreron brevirostris, Tweeddale. 



Phabotreron brevirostris, Tweedd. P. Z. S. 1877, pp. 549, 832 ; 

 id. ident. 1878, pp. 113, 344, 952 ; id. ident. 1879, p. 73. 



Hab. Leyte, Dinagat, Mindanao, and Basilan {Everett) ; Sulu 

 {Guillemard). 



a. 5 . Sulu Island. 



Iris, outer ring red, inner white ; bill brownish ; tarsus dull coral- 

 red. Length 23'0 centims., wing 116 centims., bill from forehead 

 1*5 centims., tail 9"0 centims. 



This example agrees with Lord Tweeddale's description of P. 

 brevirostris, excepting that the back and upper tail-coverts are dull 

 metallic olive. In the type (from Mindanao) the back is " mixed 

 amethystine and dull yellow-green ; uropygium and upper tail- 

 coverts dull yellow-green with scarcely any iridescence." The Sulu 

 bird corresponds, however, in having the rufo-fulvous forehead, the 



