34 Mr. W. R. Ogllvie-Grant on Birds 



Iris red ; bill pale greenisli-horn-colour ^ feet pale 

 lavender. 



These Cat-birds are clearly referable to the Aru Island 

 species, and not to yS. m. melanocephalus Ramsay as stated 

 by Messrs. Rothschild and Hartert. They are possibly a trifle 

 smaller than typical Aru birds, but with only one male for 

 comparison it would be unwise to distinguish them on that 

 account, and I cannot find any other difference. 



The wing-measurements are as follows : — 



Utakwa River. 



Aru 1 



^.slands. 



Wing. 





Wing. 



$ ...... 160 mm. 



S (type) 



167 mm. 



[?] ... 156 



[c?] 



167 



?...,.. 153 



[c?] 



165 



?.. 153 



[c?] 



164 





c? 



161 





[?] 



158 





? 



155 



Males may generally be easily recognised by their larger, 

 often much larger, bills. 



The male and female differ from ji^. m. melanocephalus 

 Ramsay, from South-eastern New Guinea, in having the lores 

 white instead of black ; the patch at the base of the lower 

 mandible mixed sooty-brown and buff, instead of black ; the 

 feathers of the crown with larger buff-coloured spots, giving 

 these parts a much less black appearance, the feathers of the 

 chin and throat whitish, the latter with indistinct blackish 

 tips. In ^. m. melanocephalus the chin is blackish and the 

 feathers of the throat are white strongly margined with 

 black. The feathers of the chest are whitish-buff, with 

 brownish margins and greenish fringes, instead of buff with 

 wide blackish margins ; thus the chest in jE. m. melano- 

 cephalus has a much blacker appearance, the light middles 

 of the feathers of these parts being considerably reduced in 

 size. The plumage of the two forms is otherwise much the 

 same. 



" The Barbet-like Cat-bird was a common species in- 

 habiting the dense jungle, and was usually seen in pairs. It 



