Vol. xli.] 66 



Mr. Kloss found it numerous at certain submontane localities 

 in Java early this year, and collected a large series. 



Finally there were specimens of another Timeliad bird, 

 Siachyridopsit melanothorax, also of extreme rarity. The 

 series belonged to two forms — the typical one from West 

 Java and an East-Javan race, S. m. intermedia, which was 

 possibly not separable from the bird described from Bali by 

 Dr. Hartert as S. ni. baliensis. 



The case was interesting as typical of the fact that the 

 faunas of the Island of Bali and that of a considerable area 

 of Eastern Java were more closely related to each other than 

 were the faunas of East and West Java, which are now con- 

 tinuous land -surfaces. The fact was borne out by many 

 species of birds and also of mammals, and pointed to the 

 probability that at a comparatively recent date East and 

 West Java were two islands, and that possibly at about the 

 same date the Bali Straits did not exist. 



The differences between East and West Javan forms were 

 of considerable importance in the exact study of Oriental 

 birds. Most of Horsfield's material, on which very many 

 Javan species were founded, was from East or East Central 

 Java ; but most of the material from Java in European 

 Museums was from West Java, and until quite recently 

 a uniformity in all Javan specimens of a species had been 

 taken as a matter of course. 



During a recent visit to Java Mr. Kloss obtained a series 

 of about 2000 skins from all parts of the island at low 

 elevations ; while he had himself obtained a series of about 

 3000 skins from the elevated areas of the island, and he 

 hoped that detailed study of this material would shortly be 

 commenced. 



To show how much remained to be done, even in so classic 

 a country as was Java, he might mention that they had 

 recently obtained large series of so well known a Pigeon as 

 Treron bisincta from Eastern Java, though it was not known 

 to occur elsewhere in the Malay Archipelago ; while a very 

 striking Thickhead, Pachycephala fulvotincta, had also proved 

 to be quite common in the east of the island. 



