Birds of Celebes: Zosteropidae. 4§C) 



4. Z. atrifrons Wall.: North Celebes; 



5. Z. subatrifrons M.&Wg. : Peling; 



6. Z. delicatula Sharpe: S.E.Guinea and {Z. frontalis Salvad.) Aru; 



7. Z. chrysolaema Salvad.: Arfak Mts., N. W. New Guinea. 



Z. clara is distinguishable from atrifrons by its having the middle of the 

 breast and abdomen yellow, the other species by their somewhat larger size; 

 Z. atricapil/a further by its having the whole crown of head black, Z. delicatula 

 by its having the sinciput as well as the forehead black and the throat bright 

 yellow, not greenish ochre-yellow, the under tail-coverts brighter yellow, the sides 

 of the breast less tinted with grey (Salvad., Sharpe), Z. chrysolaema by its 

 dusky brown forehead and deep golden yellow throat (Sharpe). The differences 

 between atrifrons and nehrkorni are very accurately pointed out by W. Blasius 

 (13): Z. nehrkorni is larger, and on the upper surface, especially on the rump 

 and upper tail-coverts, lighter and brighter green- yellowish, it has a bright 

 golden yellow colour on chin, throat and under tail-coverts; bill and feet paler. 



The peculiar, disjointed character of the geographical distribution o{ Zosterops 

 atrifrons and its allies can only be understood on the explanation that the birds 

 spread their range by flight, though we may expect to find yet other members 

 of this group in the Moluccas. In the light of what Sir Walter BuUer 

 writes (B. New Zeal. 2"'^ed. 1888, I, p. XLI, 78—81) on Z. caerulescens (Lath.) of 

 Australia, New Zealand, and the Chatham Islands, the distribution by flight is 

 no great assumption. Z. caerulescens in New Zealand was only known from the 

 South Island, and "crossed Cook's Strait, for the first time within the memory 

 of man, in the winter of 1856, coming over in numerous flocks, as if to explore 

 the country; then retired for two years, and reappeared in greater numbers 

 than before in the winter 1858, since which time it has been a permanent 

 resident in the North Island, breeding in every district and becoming more 

 plentiful every year". Very suggestive also is the following note by Mr. G. B. 

 Owen recorded by Sir W. Buller (p. 79): "On my passage from Tahiti to 

 Auckland, per brig Rita, about 300 miles north of the North Cape of New 

 Zealand, I saw one morning several little birds flying about the ship. From 

 their twdttering and manner of flying I concluded that they were land-birds, and 

 they were easily caught. They were of a brownish grey and yellowish colour, 

 with a little white mark round the eye. I saw several pass over the ship during 

 the day, travelling northwards. I arrived in Auckland a few days afterwards, 

 on the 20"" of May, when the so-called Bligh thirds (Zosterops caerulescens) ap- 

 peared here in such numbers, and I at once recognised them as the same". 

 Such facts as these make it pretty clear how Zosterops may have reached the 

 volcanic, almost mammalless islands of Polynesia, where these small birds are 

 now known as far east as Ponape and Fiji. 



Z. atrifrons in North Celebes seems to be sociable in its habits. Dr. Platen 

 (12) speaks of a swarm of something like a hundred in the coffee - plantations 



Meyei- & Wiglesworth, Birds of Celebes (Nov. Uti', 1897). 62 



