TRICHOGLOSSUS ARFAKI [A. B. Meyer). 



By Mr. G. D. ROWLEY. 



The Arfak mountains, in New Guinea, from which this species takes its 

 name, cannot be classed with iEsop's range, which brought forth nothing but 

 " ridiculus mus ;" for, in addition to the bird under examination, we have 

 Mgotheles duhius, Chnjsococcyxsplendidus, Orthonyx novcB-guinea, Artamus maximus, 

 Strix tenebricosa, Chcetorhynchus papuensis, Sec. (Ibis, October 1874, 3rd ser. 

 vol. iv. pp. 416 et seq.'). Schlegel, in 'Museum des Pays-Bas,' livraison ii. 

 p. 70 (1874), adds Nestor pecquetii, "tue le 15 Avril, 1870, Hattam, monts 

 Arfak." . 



This place, which I cannot find marked in any map, is called on all my 

 specimens " Hattam ;" in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society,' 1873, 

 pp. 691 et seq., it is mentioned frequently as " Atam, apud montes Papuanos 

 Arfak." Schlegel, as above mentioned, speaks of " Hattam." This is trying 

 to an author not wishing to be false to his aspirates ; probably Hattam is 

 correct. The best map I can procure of this part of New Guinea is in 

 ' Reistochten naar de Geelvinkbaai op Nieuw-Guinea in de jaren 1869 en 

 1870,' door C. B. H. von Rosenberg (1875). The chart at the end of this 

 beautifully illustrated work shows the Arfak range, and in addition gives a 

 good plate of the Baron himself, gun in hand, with various birds which he 

 encountered and scenes in the country. The book has portraits of the 

 inhabitants of " Hattam." 



The Arfak mountains run along the north-western coast of New Guinea ; 

 and their green tops are to be seen when approaching Havre Dorey. The 

 Dutch visited them in 1858. Their elevation is put at 9000 feet above the 

 sea-level. Dr. Meyer went up to about 3500 feet. They, however, cannot 

 vie with the magnificent Owen-Stanley range, 12,000 or 13,000 feet high, 

 situated on the southern coast. 



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