620 DE. ST. GEORGE MIVAET ON SOME LOEIES. 



Notes on some Lories. 

 By St. G-eoege Mitaet, F.E.S., F.L.S. 

 [Read 2nd June, 1898.] 

 lisr an interesting and suggestive paper, by Captain P.W. Hutton, 

 r.E.S., lately published in our Journal *, tbe author pointed out 

 certain facts and made certain inferences with respect to thirteen 

 species of Fruit-Pigeons of the genus Ptilopus. Each of these 

 thirteen species he declared to be severally confined (as regards 

 their geographical distribution) to one island, or to a small group 

 of islands, wherein no other species of Ptilopus simultaneously 

 existed ; and he stated, at some length, his reasons for coming to 

 the conclusion that the specific characters of these species could 

 not have arisen as " recognition marks " nor from any other 

 merely mechanical mode of origin. 



Captain Hutton's position may, I think, be strengthened 

 through the consideration of certain facts with respect to the 

 geographical distribution of another group of birds to which, a 

 short time ago, I had occasion to pay particular attention f. 



The group in question is that known as the family LoriidcE, 

 containing about seventy-five species ranging in size from that 

 of a Sparrow to about that of a Turtle-Dove. 



Their plumage is in most cases a mixture of green, purple (or 

 blue), and red, to which yellow is very often added. In some 

 cases the whole body is green, but the plumage may be entirely 

 red. In only two instances is it blue and white. 



The distribution of the Loriidce does not extend beyond 10° N. 

 and 45° S. latitude, or west of ] 15° E. longitude or east of 145° W. 

 longitude. Their extreme northern habitats consist of the Caroline, 

 Washington, and Fanning Islands. Their farthest extension 

 south is to Tasmania; their most western dwelling-place is the 

 island of Sumbawa, while the Marquesas constitute their extreme 

 eastern limit, so far as I have been able to ascertain. 



Of a small section of the group — the Black-billed Lories 

 {Ghalcopsittacus) — one species, almost entirely black {Ch. ater), 

 is found in New Gruinea ; but a closelj-allied form {Oh. Bern- 

 steini) is, so far as yet known, confined to the island of Mysol, 

 and, one may suppose, has there acquired the tinge of red on its 

 otherwise black forehead. The utility of this trifling character 



* Journ. Linn. Soc, Zool. xxvi. p. 330. 



t When preparing my work entitled 'A Monograph of the Lories, or Brush- 

 tongued Parrots, composing the Family Loriidffi.' London : R. H. Porter, 1896. 

 Therein 22 types are represented, and 16 species are figured for the first time. 



