﻿On Certain Birds from the Moluccas. 59 



handsomest of a very beautiful family, and is peculiar to 

 Gilolo. 



This pair of dark- throated Sun-birds {Cinnyris jugu- 

 laris) belong to a family which, in the Old World, takes 

 the place that the Humming-birds occupy in the New. 

 This species is found in the Philippines as well as the 

 Moluccas. 



There were several Honeysuckers in the collection, but 

 they had been so damaged by insects that their identifi- 

 cation was almost impossible. One, however, I recognized 

 as Melitograis gilolensis. 



This little Kingfisher appears to be an example of 

 Alcedo Floresiana, a variety of the common English King- 

 fisher (Alcedo ispida), which only occurs in Flores and the 

 Moluccas. 



Of the Moluccan Blue Kingfisher (^Halcyon diops) we 

 have a young female. In this species, contrary to the 

 usual custom, it is the female that assumes an adult 

 plumage, and the young ones resemble the male bird. 



The Eacquet-tailed Kingfisher {Tanysiptera margaritce) 

 belongs to a very beautiful group found only in the 

 neighbourhood of New Guinea. There are twenty dif- 

 ferent species of them, and eight of these are peculiar to 

 the Moluccas. This one is only found in Gilolo and 

 Batchian. 



Of Pigeons, Mr. Tiffin's collection contained somewhat 

 damaged specimens of the beautiful little Blue -capped 

 Fruit Pigeon (Ptilopns monachus) and Superb Fruit 

 Pigeon (Ptilopits superhus). The first of these is peculiar 

 to the Moluccas, the other ranges from the Moluccas to 

 North Australia. 



Of Parrots, there are seven different species of Moluccan 

 birds. 



The Ceram Lory (Zorius garridus). This specimen had 

 lost nearly all the webs of the feathers, but, fortunately,, 

 a few spots of the yellow linings to the wings were left,. 



