572 Birds of Celebes: Sturnidae. 



feathers. The bill is whitish, about as long as the head, with a pendant tip 



or hook. Wing large, "i""* — 4"" quills the longest. Tail moderate, 12 feathers, 



rounded or slightly graduated. Feet and tarsus yellow, large; tarsus longer than 



the culmen. Plumage metallic. Three species are known from Celebes, Banggai, 

 and C'eram. 



* 239. BASILEORNIS CELEBENSIS G.R.Giay. 



Celebes King Starling. 



a. Basilornis corythaix (1) Bp. (nee. Wagl.), Consp. 1850, I, 420; (2) Cab., Mus. Hein. I, 

 1851, 207, note; (3) Schl, Handl. Dierk. 1857, 342. 



h. Basilornis celebensis [Temm. in Leydeii Mus.] , (I) Gray, P. Z. S. 1861, 184, fig.; (II) 

 Sclat. &Wall., Ibis 1861, 284, pi. IX, fig 2; (3) Pinsch, Neu Guinea 1865, 174; 

 (4) Wall, Malay Archip. 1869, I, 430; (5) Gray, HL. 11, 1870, 19, Nr. 6279; 

 ('ffj Meyer, Ibis 1879, 133; (7) W. Bias., J. f. 0. 1883, 138; (8) id., ib. 1885, 403; 

 (IXj id., Ztschr. ges. Om. 1885, 298, fig.; (10) Tristram, Cat. Coll. B. 1889, 251; 

 (11) Heine & Rcbw., Nomencl. Mus. Hein. 1890, 110; (12) Hartert, Kat. Senckenb. 

 Mus. 1891, 77. 



BasUeornis celebensis (1) Wakl, Tr. Z. S. VTU, 1872, 77; (2) Brugg., Abb. Ver. Bremen 

 1876, V, 77; (3) Guillem., P. Z. S. 1885, 555; (4) Sbarpe, Cat. B. XIH, IS9(), 

 95; (5) Meyer, Abb. u. Ber. Dresden Mus. 1894, Nr. 2, 1; (6) M. & Wg., ib. 

 1895, Nr. 8, p. 14; (7) iid., ib. 1896, Nr. 1, p. 14; (8) iid., ib. 1896, Nr. 2, p. IS; 

 (9) Hart., Nov. Zool. 1896, 154. 



c. Basilornis celensis (err.) , (1) Rosenb. , Malay. Archip. 1878, 273. 



"Radja sie" (King of tbe Glossy Starlings), Malay, Minabassa, Meyer b 6, Guillem. 3, 

 Nat. Coll. 



"Pokakang", IMinahassa, Nat. Coll. 



"Biruro", Tjamba Distr., Platen b IX. 



"Uwenta", Tonkean, E. Celebes, Nat. Coll. 



Figures and descriptions. Sclater & Wallace b II; Gray b I; W. Blasius b IX; Schlegel 

 a 3; Sbarpe 4; Meyer 5. 



Adult male. Black, glossed on the head and neck with violet steel-blue, on the back, upper 

 tail- and wing-coverts, throat and under-paiis with dark metaUic green; quills 

 blacldsh brown; tail black, sbgbtly glossed on the outer webs; a patch on the 

 ear-coverts white, bounded behind by ta^^^ly-tipped feathers; a large patch on 

 the sides of the jugulum huffy white; under wing-coverts glossy greenish black; 

 quills below drab-grey, almost white where they rest upon the body, duskier towai'ds 

 the ends; a long compressed ridge-crest reaching from in front of the nostrils to 

 above the occiput; a few short white haii-feathers here and there, chiefly on the 

 throat ; around and behind the eye a small space of bare skin, apparently blue-black 

 in hfe. "Eye-lashes black; bill whitish blue-gi-ey; feet lemon-yellow" — Platen H 

 (cf ad. Kema, N. Celebes, 1. X. 93: P.& F. Sarasin). Wing 138 mm; tail 88; 

 tarsus 29; bill fi'om nostril 16. 



Female. Similar to the male, but the crest-feathers shorter (11mm as against 14 mm) and 

 less glossy. "Iris bi-own-red" — also in male (2 ad. Kahbangkere, S. Celebes, 

 20. m. 78: Platen — C 13414, W. Bias, b IX]. 



Immature. Above glossy green-black, like the adult; head black with a small crest-ridge; 

 chin, thi'oat and malar region and sides of breast pale brown with dark centres to 

 the feathers; ear- and chest-patch buffy white; remaining under-parts didl bro^viiish 



