﻿BIRDS FROM THE ISLAND OF BASILAN. 285 



Chaetura species. 



A large swift, presumedly 0. celebensis, was frequently seen. 



Pyrotrogon ardens (Tenim.). 



Specimens from Basilan have much larger bills than specimens from Luzon 

 but the colors are exactly similar. 



Surniculus velutinus Sharpe. 



Three males obtained in January and February. 



Cuculus canorus Linn. 



A male in good plumage was killed December 27: this species is new to the 

 Basilan list. 



Cacomantis merulinus (Scop.). 

 Fairly abundant. 



Chalcococcyx xanthorhynchus (Horsf.). 



An adult male was taken January 9; both this and the following species are 

 unrecorded from Basilan. 



Chalcococcyx malayanus (Raffl.). 



An immature male was taken December 26; length 6.5 inches; irides and 

 eyelids, red; bill and feet, black. A female taken December 31 has throat, breast, 

 and sides of neck heavily washed with rusty-brown; length 6.3 inches; irides, 

 red; bill, black; base of bill, dark red; feet, dark green. 



Eudynamis mindanensis (Linn.). 

 A male taken March 18. 



Centropus viridis (Scop.). 

 A few seen. 



Centropus melanops Less. 



The black-eyed cuckoo occurs in some abundance in Basilan; there is con- 

 siderable variation in the size of bill in this species, but it is purely individual. 

 Birds from Basilan and Bohol do not differ in coloration. 



Thriponax multilunatus sp. nov. 



Specific characters. — Similar to Thriponax javensis but the white lines on 

 throat wider and feathers of fore-breast narrowly edged with pale-fawn or 

 buffy-white, forming crescentic marks, this approaching T. pectoralis. 



Type. — No. 6171, <$, Bureau of Science Collection; Isabela, Island of Basilan. 

 P. I., December 28, 1906; R. C. McGregor and A. Celestino. 



Description of type. — Forehead, crown, crest, and malar stripe bright-crimson, 

 the feathers withish at base; nasal plumes, blackish; lores and a wide trans- 

 ocular band black; rest of upper parts, wings, and tail, black: second, third, and 

 fourth primaries with a white spot at base of inner web: third to seventh 

 primaries with a white spot at tip of outer web; inner secondaries white at 

 base: chin, throat, and postauricular area, black, each feather narrowly margined 

 with whitish, producing a striped appearance; breast, black, the feathers of fore 

 part narrowly bordered with buffy producing a series of crescentic light marks ; 

 abdomen and sides, buffy white: thighs black, each feather widely bordered with 

 light buff: vent and tail-coverts, black. Length in flesh, 16.5 inches; wing. 8.25; 

 tail. 6.55; culmen from base. 2.05: tarsus, 1.16. 



Ten specimens from Basilan differ uniformly from Thriponax javensis and 

 maintain the specific characters assigned above. That the crescentic breast 

 marks are not due to immaturity is evident from an examination of young 

 specimens of T. javensis from Luzon for these have the breast entirely black. 



