578 



MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE DICjEID^E. [DeC. 4, 



December 4, 1883. 



Professor Flower, LL.D., F.R.S,, President, in the Chair. 



Sir Joseph Fayrer, F.Z.S., exhibited a portion of a Deer's horn 

 apparently gnawed by other Deer, and made remarks upon this 

 subject. 



Mr. Sclater exhibited, on the part of Dr. G. Bennett, F.Z.S., 

 four skins of a species of Drepanornis, obtained by Mr. Goldie in 

 the vicinity of Port Moresby in Southern New Guinea, and pointed 

 out that the southern form of tliis bird differed from the northern 

 form, originally discovered by D'Albertis (and described P. Z. S. 

 1873, p. 560, pi. xlvii.), in the much paler colour of the rump and 

 tail-feathers and in the more ohvaceous tinge of the back. Besides 

 this the elongated tufts on each side of the breast were not only 

 tipped with dark purplish blue as in the northern form, but also 

 suffused with this colour upon their outer surfaces. 



Mr. E. P. Ramsay (Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. voh iv. p. 469) 

 had already alluded to these differences, but had only been able to 

 examine specimens. 



Mr. Sclater thought that these differences were only of subspecific 

 value, and proposed to indicate their existence by naming the 

 Southern form Drepanornis albertisi cervinkauda. 



Mr. Sclater remarked that the second species of Drepanornis, 

 described by M. Oustalet (Ann. des Sc. Nat. ser. 6. Zool. vol. ix. 

 Art. 5) under the name Drepanornis bruijnii, seemed not in any 

 way to resemble the southern form, and was from the northern coast 

 of New Guiuea, still more to the east than D. alberiisii. 



Mr. Burton, F.Z.S., exhibited a supposed hybrid between a 

 common hen Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) and a male Blackcock 

 {Tetrao tetrix), which had been recently purchased at Leadenhall 

 Market. 



The following papers were read ; — 



1 . Notes on some species of Birds of the family Dicaidee. 

 By B. BowDLER Sharpe, F.L.S., F.Z.wS., &c.. Depart- 

 ment of Zoologyj British Museum. 



[Received October 9, 1883.] 



In the course of a revision of the family Dicceidce or Flower- 

 peckers, I have made the following notes on some of the species, 

 which I believe may be of some interest. 



The representative of D. celebicum m the Sula Islands turns out 



