632 



Birds of Celebes: Treronidae. 



Female. Just like the male, but is probably somewhat smaller (2, Kottabangon, Mongondo 

 Distr., 2. XTT. 93: P. &F. Sarasin. Wing 232, tail 120 mm, as against wing 247, 

 tail 140 in the above cf). 

 Measurements (15 examples from N. Celebes and the islands off the coast). Wing 232 — 249; 



tail c. 120 — 140; tarsus c. 32; bill from feathers of forehead 21 — 23 mm. 

 Skeleton. 



03.0 mm 

 23.6 » 



Length of cranium . . . 

 Greatest breadth of cranium 



Length of humerus .... 56.0 



Length of ulna 67.0 



Length of radius 60.0 



Length of manus 72.0 



38.4 

 35.3 

 47.3 

 61.0 

 47.0 



Length of tarso-metatarsus 

 Length of digitus III 

 Length of sternum . . . 

 Greatest breadth of sternum 

 Height of crista sterni . 

 Length of coracoideum . 

 Length of scapula 

 Length of clavicula dextra 

 Length of pelvis .... 

 Greatest breadth of pelvis . 



32.5 umi 



46.5 » 



61.4 > 

 41.0 » 



23.5 . 

 44.0 . 

 46.0 :> 

 36.0 ' 

 74.0 '■> 

 41.5 . 



Length of metacar^jus . . 

 Length of digitus principali.s 

 Length of femur .... 

 Length of tibia .... 

 Length of tibula .... 



Distribution. Celebes and Sula: — Minahassa (Forsten h 7, Walh b 4, 15, etc.); Lembeh, 

 Banka, Mantehage and Manado tua (N-at. Coll. in Dresd. Mus.); Talissi (Hickson 13); 

 Mongondo Distr. (P. & F. Sarasin 17); Gorontalo Distr. (v. Rosenb. b 7, Riedel 12, 

 Meyer 6); East Celebes (Nat. Coll.); West Celebes (Doherty 20); Luwu, Gulf of 

 Boni (Weber 16); near Macassar (Wallace b 4, b 6, 15); Sula Islands (Allen b 3); 

 Sula Besi (Bernstein b 7 , Hoedt b 7); Sula Mangoli (Bernst. b 7); Peling and 

 Banggai (Nat. Coll.) 



This form of Myristicimra is confined to Celebes and Sula, and, though 

 it is also found on the small islands close to the coast, it cannot be said to be 

 of oceanic habits like the wide-spread M. hicolor. The latter is easily to be re- 

 cognised by its having the four or five innermost secondaries white like the 

 scapulars, and the nib of the bill dusky horn-colour, not yellow. 



Some doubts have existed as to the number of tail-feathers in M. luctuosa, 

 whether 12 or 14, and Prof. W. Blasius (12) has suggested the possibility that 

 both numbers may normally exist in this Pigeon — that it may in fact be 

 dimorphous. In a series of 17 examples in the Dresden Museum the majority 

 have 14 tail-feathers, others 13, 12, or less; in the case of an odd number there 

 is, of course, a feather missing, and in one case of 12 we can make out 2 

 feathers as missing, and we believe it will be found in all cases of 12 rectrices 

 that the bird has moulted or otherwise lost 2 feathers. The allied Mynsticivora 

 spilorrhoa was originally believed to have only 12 rectrices (Cassin, U. S. Expl. 

 Exp. 1858, 266; Walden 3), but Dr. Sharpe has satisfactorily proved that the 

 number is 14, as in the other Myristicivorae (P. Z. S. 1875, 108). 



The white Pigeons of the genus Myristicivora belong to five species found 

 from Siam and the Andamans as far as North Australia. From M. luctuosa all 

 the other four species may be distinguished by their white inner secondaries. 

 Perhaps M. spilorrhoa stands nearest to the Celebesian bird, since it has the nib 

 of the bill yellow, and black spots on the flanks and crissum, but the under 



