DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF FIEZORIIYN- 
CHUS, FROM THE NEW HEBRIDES ISLANDS. 
By Dr. E. P. Rams.^y, F.Pt.S.E.., &c. 
PlEZORHYNCHUS SERICEUS, Sp.nOV. 
The lores, sides of the face, ear-coverts, throat, hind-neck, under 
tail-covei’ts, and entire under surface of the body silky white ; 
upjier tail-coverts white, black at the base. The front and top of 
the head from the bill to the nape, the interscapular region, a 
naiTow pectoral band, and the back, clear black ; scapulars and 
greater wing-coverts white with remains of a black shaft-line ; 
shoulders and primary coverts black, those of the latter adjacent 
to the secondaries occasionally mottled with white ; some of the 
secondary coverts all white; primaries black above, brownish-black 
below, the margin of their inner webs near their bases, and all the 
under wing-coverts and axillaries white. Tail black above, largely 
tipped with white, which colour occupies nearly the whole of the 
inner web on the outer feathers, leaving only a narrow margin of 
black on some. Bill black; tarsi and feet lead-colour. 
The bill is rather sleiider and narrow, with the bristles weak. 
Length, 6 inches ; wing, 3T ; tail, 2'8 ; tarsu.s, 0 85. 
lieraarks . — This very neat and elegant species, belonging to the 
purely black and white section, including P. rerticalis, Sclat., 
was procured by Captain G. Braithwaite, of the Mission Shi]> 
‘ Day iSpi'ing,’ while in Bougainville Channel, on the mainland of 
♦Santo, New Hebrides, about two miles iidand. 
This species might easily be mistaken for Lala</e hanksii, 
Gray (Brit. Mus. Cat. Aves, Vol. IV., p. 100, sp. 11 ; Gray in 
