290 NOVITATES ZOOLOOICAE XXIII. 1916. 



i.e. the north-eastern chain, agree in every detail, except that they are conspicuously 

 paler on the upperside; the underside also is generally almost pure white, but this 

 latter character is variable and uncertain, so that only the lighter upper surface can 

 be depended on. We are therefore obliged to separate the lighter form, and we 

 propose for it the name 



Coracina papuensis perpallida subsp. nov. 



Type ? ad., Bougainville, 6. v. 1904, no. A. 1739, A. S. Meek coll. 



The bill and length of wing is very variable in this race ; generally the wings 

 are longer in the skins from Florida, the beaks smallest in those from Bougainville, 

 but neither of these characters is, as far as we can judge from our material, constant 

 and reliable enough to make any further subdivisions. 



We have now before us the following forms of Coracina papuensis : 



1. Coracina papuensis papuensis: Northern New Guinea, from Arfak to 

 German Papua, also Salwatty and foot of Snow Mountains, on the Setekwa River.— 

 Underside grey, only lower abdomen and under tail-coverts white. Primaries edged 

 with grey. C. p. stephani is not separable ! 



2. C. papuensis melanolora : Moluccas (Batjan, Halmahera, Obi, Misol, 

 Ternate, Gebe). — Quite like C. p. papuensis, but distinctly larger. Primaries as in 

 C. p. papuensis. 



3. C. papuensis sclateri : New Ireland, New Britain, Rook, New Hanover. — 

 At once distinguishable by large size and beak. Wings darker, edges 'very little 

 conspicuous. 



4. C. papuensis meekiana : Northern British New Guinea (Kumusi River). — 

 Primaries as in the foregoing races, chest grey, but lighter than in papuensis, throat 

 almost pure white, sides of body lighter. Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, Suppl. Ibis 1915, 

 pp. 128, 129, unites G. papuensis, meekiana and hypoleucus, but in this he is 

 doubtless wrong. It seems that he has not understood the description of meekiana, 

 and he cannot have compared, as he says, specimens of hypoleuca from New South 

 Wales, because the latter does not occur there, and there is no specimen in the 

 British Museum. Apparently he mistook females of C. robusta for males of 

 hypoleuca, but the latter is never so dark grey on the breast, and has a shorter 

 wing. 



5. C. papuensis ingens (Rothsch. & Hart., Bull. B.O.C. xxxiii. p. 107, 1914) : 

 Manus, Admiralty Islands. — Enormous size, primaries dark. Shafts of rectrices 

 black from below. 



6. C. papuensis angustifrons : Southern British New Guinea. — Unlike meekiana, 

 having not the distinct breast-band of the latter, and nearest to C. p. hypoleuca, but 

 much smaller. Primaries edged with whitish. 



? 7. C. papuensis mertoni Berl. : Am Islands. We have not enough material 

 to judge about this form, but it must be very near to C. p. angustifrons, and, if 

 separable at all, only perhaps a shade darker. Count Berlepsch had evidently 

 insufficient material, and had better not have attempted to separate this form in 

 such an intricate group. 



8. C. p. louisiadensis : Sudest Island, Louisiade Group. — Like C. p. hypoleuca, 

 but much larger bill. Wings edged with whitish. (Of. Nov. Zool. 1898, p. 524.) 



9. C. p. elegans : Guadalcanal-, New Georgia, Gizo, Vella Lavella Islands. — ■ 

 Wings shorter than in hypoleuca, bill rather more elongate. 



