520 Biids of Celebes: Sylviidae. 



The present species forms another interesting addition made by the cousins 

 P. & F. Sarasin to the avifauna of Celebes. Hitherto the genus Fhylleryates 

 was known by four species, with the following habitats: 



P.coronatus (Jerd. &. Blyth): tlie hills of N.W.India and of Tenasserim. 

 P. sumatranus Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) XII, 1891, 67: Sumatra, 



ca. 1500 metres (Modigliani). 

 P. cucuUatus (Temm.): Java. 

 P. cinereicollis Sharpe, Ibis 1888, 479; 1889, 279: Kini Balu Mt. up 



to 4000 ft. (Whitehead), highlands of North Luzon (Whitehead, 



fide Grant, Ibis 1894, 510; 1895, 448). 



It appears that Pkyllergates is a hill-haunting genus, for besides the mountain 

 habitats recorded for three of the above species, the Celebesian specimens on 

 record were obtained in the highlands of the island. 



The Celebes species is like P. cinereicollis of Kini Balu, but differs in having 

 the nape and neck brown, not dark ashy grey, in having no superciliary stripe, 

 and in having the sides of the face and ear-coverts washed with the golden- 

 tawny of the crown. From P. cucuUatus it differs in wanting the narrow streak 

 of bright yellow over the eye, in the brown colour washed with golden-tawny 

 of the face below the eye, in the dark cinnamon colour, not olive, of the thighs. 

 P. sumatranus and P. coronatus are more distinct. 



Phyllergates is placed by Dr. Sharpe next the genus Orthotomus, which 

 has much the same distribution and a similar type of plumage, but the tarsus 

 of Phyllergates is without scales in front, except near the lower joint, and Mr. 

 Gates (Fauna Brit. Ind., B. I, 439) points out that the tail consists of only 

 10 feathers, so that its affinities are evidently with Dr. Sharpe's group of 

 Cisticolinae with 10 tail-feathers, Suya etc. or with Abrornis and Tickellia. 



Phyllergates is a fre.sh link between Celebes and the Indian zoological Region, 

 and there is indirect proof that the birds got to Celebes by flight, because, had 

 the genus existed in Celebes since the island was seperated from Asia, greater 

 differences would have been evolved in that great period of time, judging from 

 what seems to have taken place in other species, such as Rhabdotorrhinus, etc. 

 This is also shown by the fact that the allied Borneo species stands nearer to 

 the Indian one than does the Celebes species. 



The Sarasins furnish the following note on the habits of this bird, observed 

 at a height of about 3000 feet on the mountains of Central Celebes: "After the 

 rain there followed a moonlight night of indescribable clearness. A bird's song 

 resembling that of our Nightingale was to be heard in the dense thicket ; 

 probably it came from the little Phi/llergates-fi-[)ecies discovered by us first in the 

 Minahassa and found again here. The thermometer fell to 13''C." 



The species was named by Meyer & Wiglesworth in recognition of 

 Dr. Riedel's services in the Zoology and Ethnology of Celebes. 



