560 Birds of Celebes: Sturnidae. 



knowledge, in the south, where it seems to be represented by Calornis minor. 

 This is suggestive, in the case of a bird of such excellent fljing-powers, of re- 

 cent immigration into the country, a view which is confirmed by the complete, 

 or almost complete, identity of the birds in the Northern Peninsula with Philip- 

 pine ones, and in the Southern Peninsula with the Lesser Sunda species; it is 

 pretty certain, however, that Mr. Wallace did not have the good fortune to 

 come across the bird during the months of June to September owing per- 

 haps to its local movements, though we received it from Manado in August and 

 September. 



Where this species, or its allies, occur on small islands, they are always 

 larger in size than on the neighbouring mainland , as shown by C. panayensis 

 tytleri, altirostris, enganensis, sangirensis . 



The Glossy Starling is, as Hickson remarks, the commonest bird met with 

 throughout the islands which lie between Celebes and the Philippines, — -viz. 

 Biarro, Ruang, Tagulandang, Siao, Sangi, Talaut, and the Nanusa Islands. In 

 colour these birds do not differ from the Celebes race, but the Sangi and Talaut 

 birds are always bigger, yet, as shown by the above table of measurements, every 

 transition is found on the islands between Great Sangi and North Celebes. 

 Considerable individual variation in the important character of size occurs, as 

 will be seen on comparing the measurements of specimens r and t from the 

 same locality, Ruang, or /' and g' from Kabruang. 



The peculiar insular avian forms of the Sangi and Talaut Islands are com- 

 monly larger than those of the mainland of Celebes, and we know of no case 

 of a local race being smaller in Sangi or Talaut than in Celebes. C. panayensis 

 sangirensis follows the rule. Other examples of this increase of size on the Sangi 

 and Talaut Islands are afforded by Tanygnathus muellen sangirensis, Ceycopsis 

 sangirensis, Cittura sangirensis, Dicaeum sangirense and talautense, Acmonorhynchus 

 sangirensis, Anthreptes malaccensis chlorigaster-. Zoster ops nehrkorni, Oriolus formosus 

 and melanisticus. 



Nothing is easier than to suggest explanations how this condition of in- 

 creased size in the insular forms came about; for instance, Birds-of-prey are 

 scarce in the islands, and among many birds the males are supposed to be more 

 numerous than the females'), consequently the stouter males will secure 

 partners, the weaker not; while on the mainland Birds-of-prey are plentiful, 

 and small individuals (in our own kind at least) are quicker-witted and know 

 how to look after themselves better than big ones, and these will be they which 

 will best avoid the dangers which surround them; but there hardly seems to 

 be a means as yet known of ascertaining what is the correct explanation. 



In its habits the Glossy Starling is said to resemble the Common Starling 

 of Europe, except that it is rarely or never seen on the ground. It flies and 



' We should be son7 to commit ourselves to this theory \nth its present shaky basis of proof. 



