Birds of Celebes: Sturuidae. 



563 



Figures and descriptions. Temminck a I; Hombron & Jacquinot /; 7; Gould c I, ,?; 

 Salvadori 7, Sharpe 12. 



Adult. Black, glossed with metallic green: quills and tail more dusky; head above, 

 mantle and jugulum glossed with auricula-pui-ple , the middle of the mantle with 

 green; cervical collar glossed with metallic green, like the remaining ui^per- and 

 under -parts; wing 104 mm; tail 94; tarsus 2J ; bill from nostril 12 (Q, Ansus, 

 Jobi, April 1893: Meyer — C 10976). 



Bill and feet black; ii-is vermihon (Gld. .3). 



Sex, The sexes are similarly coloured. 



Young. Similar to the adult above, but with less metallic gloss; cheeks and under surface 

 of body wliite, streaked with greenish black on the lower throat, fore neck, sides of 

 body, flanks and under tail-coverts (Sharpe 12). 



Eggs. 2, sometimes 3; bluish grey, speckled with reddish pink, cliiefly at the larger end; 

 size 25 X 20 mm (N. Austraha ~ McGillivray .3). 3 or 4 in number, some 

 roundish, others elongate; greenish white with bright reddish brown spots and dots, 

 more numerous towards the large end; 26.5 X 19.5 mm (N. Austraha — Ramsay 5, 11). 



Nest. Pensile, averaging two feet in length by one in breadth, somewhat oval in form, taper- 

 ing above to a neck, by which it is suspended; the opening in the centre of the 

 \videst part. Built of pieces of the stem and the long tendrils of a climbing plant 

 (Cisi^us), matted and woven together, lined with finer pieces of the same, a few leaves 

 (generally strips of Panda nm -l&al), the hair-like fibres of a palm (Carijota. cer&us), 

 and similar materials (McGill. 5). 



Distribution. Sula Islands (Wallace 2, 12); Moluccas and Papuasia as far as New Guinea, 

 the New Britain group, the Solomons, North Australia and, occasionally (10), New 

 South Wales (Salvadori 7, 13). 



In his original account of this species, Temminck indicated its habitat as 

 Celebes and Timor. Later two specimens collected by Rosenberg were brought 

 forward by Briiggemann, though with some doubt [6, p. 100), as proof of the 

 occurrence of the bird in Celebes; but W. Blasius, who afterwards examined 

 one of them, found that no locality was mentioned on the label. Another 

 specimen in the Senckenberg collection (15) at Frankfort is labelled "Celebes", 

 but we suppose this may be traced to Temminck's original error. The species can- 

 not, therefore, be admitted into the Celebes list without further evidence. Sula birds 

 are identified with C.metallica by Wallace and Sharpe, after specimens ob- 

 tained by Allen in the Sula Islands. The present species may be distinguished 

 from C. panayensis, C. p. sangirensis, sulaensis, and minor., which occur in one part 

 or another of the Celebesian Province, by its strongly graduated tail, the two 

 middle feathers overreaching the next by about 25 mm; the fine auricula-purj)le 

 on the head, mantle and jugulum also render it easily recognisable. 



A close investigation of C. metallica would probably bring . to light many 

 local variations of insufficient stability to justify their being scientifically removed 

 from the first - discovered race and concealed from the eyes of general know- 

 ledge under the mask of specific names. A new comparison of such forms as 

 C.nitida Gray, of New Britain, C circumscripta M.ey ex , of Timorlaut, C. inornata 

 Salv., of Mysore, C. purpureiceps Salv., of the Admiralty Islands, C. fuscovirescens 



71* 



