﻿NOTES ON A COLLECTION OF BIRDS FROM THE 



ISLAND OF BAS1LAN WITH DESCRIPTIONS 



OF THREE NEW SPECIES. 



By Richard C. McGregor. 

 [From 1hc zoological section. Biological Laboratory, Bureau of Science. 



The Island of Basilan is about 8 miles south of the long peninsula 

 of Mindanao on which Zamboanga is situated. It is separated from 

 Mindanao by shallow water and there are several small islands in the 

 channel. Basilan is well wooded and its surface is broken, but there 

 are no high mountains. The small island of Malamaui is separated 

 from Basilan by so narrow a channel that I have not thought it worth 

 while to consider the two islands as distinct localities. 



Steere visited Basilan in 1874 and obtained 23 species of birds, 14 of 

 which were described by Sharpe. Everett spent a short time there in 

 1878 and added 48 species to the list. The Steere Expedition in No- 

 vember, 1887, obtained specimens of 8 species which were described as 

 new by Steere. In 1890 the Menage Expedition made a large collection 

 in Basilan, adding 15 species to the list of those already known from the 

 island; one of these was new to science. The species known from Ba- 

 silan as given in McGregor and "Worcester's Hand-List amount to 122, 

 but one of these (Callisitta cenochlamys) is not found in the island, so that 

 121 is believed to be the correct number. 



Collectors from the Bureau of Science worked near Isabela, Basilan. 

 from December 14, 1906, to March 19, 1901, and the specimens obtained 

 by them furnish the material for this paper. I am now able to add 

 "29 species to the list of Basilan birds, one of which appears to be new 

 to science. At the same time I have described, as new, two species which 

 have previously been united with their relatives found in Mindanao. 



LIST OF SPECIES NOT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED FROM BASILAN. 



Excalfactoria ImeaM. .Eijinlifis d/ubia. 



Ha 11 inn euryzonoides. Mgialitis peroni. 



(lull in ulti chloropus. Himantopvs leucocephalus. 



(' ha nulrius fulfils. Totaivus eurhinus. 



Ochtliodromiis inongolus. Heteractitis brevipes. 



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