Birds of Celebes: Treronidae. QQ\ 



Distribution. Siam (Mouhot 17j; Cochin Chiuca (Brit. Mus. 17); Cambodia (Brit. Mus. i7); 

 Tenassei-im (Davison 4, 9, 17); Malay Peninsula (Wall., Darling, etc. i7, KelL 7); 

 Sumatra (Baffles b 3, etc.); Banka (v. d. Bossche b 2); Billiton and Mendanau 

 (Vorderman b 7]; Natuna Is. — Sirliassen and Bunguran (Everett 20); Borneo 

 fMottley etc. b 6); Philippine Is., incl. Palawan and Sooloo (Brisson b 3, Meyer, 

 Everett, Platen, Steere etc. 17, 14, 13, 21); Celebes: — Mantehage Id. (Nat. 

 Coll. Dr. Mus.), Gorontalo Distr. Forsten b 2, Rosenb. b 2, Riedel 11), West 

 Celebes (Doherty 23), East Celebes, Tonkean (Nat. Coll.), Luwu at the head of 

 the Gulf of Boni (Weber h 9), Tanette (Weber b 9), Macassar (Wallace 17), 

 Bulekomba (Everett); Kangean Is. (Vorderman b 10); Java (Horsfield h 3, 17, 

 Boie b 2, etc.); Lombok Everett 22); Sumbawa (Guillemard 10, Doherty 23). 



Prof. W. Blasius rightly remarked in 1886 that it was strange that no 

 fresh-killed specimens of this species from Celebes had come into the hands of 

 recent writers on the birds of the island. Latterly, however, two examples from 

 South Celebes have been recorded by Mr. Biittikofer, and among a great 

 number of O. wallacei sent to the Dresden Museum from the Minahassa and the 

 islands off the coast by our native collectors only a single young male of 

 O. vernans was found. There is another from East Celebes, and Doherty and 

 Everett obtained it in the West and South of the island. It is probable that 

 the species is not particularly scarce, or becoming scarce, in the island, but that 

 most travellers have not visited its favourite haunts. Dr. Riedel's collection 

 was made in Gorontalo, not in the Minahassa as is said by Prof. W. Blasius. 

 All of von Rosenberg's specimens in the Leyden Museum were obtained in 

 the Gorontalo District, which had not been visited by ornithological collectors 

 since Meyer was there in 1871, until the Drs. Sarasin went to the place in 

 1893, but the latter did not obtain this species anywhere in Celebes. Dr. 

 Steere (19) says that the maroon-backed O. axillaris Bp. (the Philippine re- 

 presentative of O. ivallacei), is arboreal , feeding in the high trees in flocks ; 

 O. vernans. on the other hand, inhabits thickets, where it feeds from the bushes 

 or on the ground, and is found singly or in pairs. Kelham, who gives a good 

 account of the habits of O. vernans in the Malay Peninsula, describes it as being 

 particularly plentiful about the well-wooded islands to the south of the Peninsula. 

 The birds have their favourite roosting-places, clumps of trees to which they pass 

 regularly every evening before sunset; they are fond of the large hard beiTy of 

 a tree which grows plentifully in the Straits. Similarly Mr. Whitehead (13) 

 describes them as common on the more open spaces in Palawan, frequenting the 

 small clumps of trees found in the plains. They nest, as already noticed, in 

 bushes or low trees. 



O. vernans is very closely related to O. bicincta (^Jerd.) of India and Ceylon 

 to Siam and Malacca. The latter bird is larger, has a broader band across the 

 tail, the head of the male mostly green, no vinous on the hind neck ; Davison 

 observes, moreover, that its note is less soft than that of O, vernans, which occurs 

 in Tenasserim in common with it. No doubt, therefore, the two species are 



Meyev .« Wiglesworlh, Birds of Celebes (Nov. 2U'h 1S'J7). 76 



