﻿258 SHUFELDT. 



Mr. W. de C. Ravenel, of the United States National Museum, wrote 

 to me on August 17, 1905, as follows: 



"Dr. Richmond states that the sexes are alike in this species (Sarcojjs), and 

 the specimens transmitted represent two phases of plumage (at one time thought 

 to represent different species) regardless of sex." 



Dr. Richmond also kindly furnished me with the following literature 

 on the subject: 



"In reply to your inquiry of the 10th instant I beg to say that plates of 

 Sarcops calvus are not very numerous in technical ornithological literature, but 

 you may find some in the popular natural histories. There is a poor, colored 

 plate in Daubenton's Planches Enluminees, No. 200, and a better one (but very 

 small) in Kittlitz's Kupfertafeln der Vogel, PI. XIII, fig. 2. Brisson Ornithologie, 

 II, PI. 26, fig. 2, is uncolored and poor. 



"The nearest relatives of Sarcops are Basileornis (from Celebes and Ceram), 

 Goodfelloicia (from Mount Apo, Mindanao; discovered in 1903), and the Minos 

 (Gracula vel Eulabes Mino). Basileornis and Goodfelloicia have graduated tails, 

 like Sarcops, and are probably its closest relatives." 



These relationships, of course, have been decided entirely upon ex- 

 ternal characters, as a complete account of the morphology of Sarcops 

 has, as yet, never been given. 



McGregor, in one of his published papers, lists this species as "Sarcops 

 calvus (Linn)," the specimens having been taken at Eomblon and Sibu- 

 yan, and he states that "a bird killed June 17 had a hard-shelled egg in 

 the oviduct." 1 



I have not, in addition to the notes given above, especially looked into 

 the literature of Sarcops^ nor has it been deemed necessary to do so, as 

 the present article has to do more particularly with a description of the 

 skeleton of the species. 2 



Additional material, as follows, was received from Mr. McGregor just 

 as I had commenced this paper: 



Sarcops calvus, ? ad. Toledo, Cebu. 



Sarcops melanonotus, <S ad. Basilan. 



Oriolus chinensis, S Basilan. 



Lamprocorax panayensis, 6 and ? ad. Toledo, Cebu. 



Mr. McGregor states: 



"I can hardly hope to get you Goodfelloicia as this species is found in Min- 

 danao only. The bones of Corone and Acridotheres can be had with little trouble 

 and I will try to send them before long." 



1 McGregor, Richard C. : I. Birds from the Islands of Romblon, Sibuyan, and 

 Cresta de Gallo. Publications of the Bureau of Government Laboratories, Manila 

 (May, 1905) 25, 16. 



2 1 made a reduced photograph of one t>i the two skeletons in my possession, the 

 reproduction of which is presented herewith. By comparing the proportions of 

 this with some of the actual measurements given in this paper and taken from 

 the specimen, a correct idea of the size of the birds may be gained. 



