352 The Gardens of the Sun. 



A CONTRIBUTION TO THE AVIFAUNA OF THE 

 SULU ISLANDS. 



By R. Bowdlee Sharps, r.L.S., F.Z.S., etc. 



Senior Assistant, Department of Zoology, British Museum. 



PEOC. ZOOL. SOC. 1879. Part II. 



{Received March 18, 1879.] 



The present collection was formed by Mr. F. "W. Burbidge 

 •during a short stay in the Sulu Islands, a most interesting 

 locality to the ornithologist, and one of which very little is 

 known. In my paper on Dr. Steere's collections from the 

 Philippines, I noticed the four species of birds as yet recorded 

 from the Sulu Islands,* and I ought to have added the 

 common Artamus of the Indo-Malayan region, and a cuckoo, 

 both recorded by Peale from Mangsi. 



In addition to the birds obtained by Mr. Bm-bidge, I have 

 received permission from the authorities of the Oxford Museum 

 to describe the large Bornean collections forwarded to that 

 institution by Mr. W. H. Treacher, Acting Governor of 

 Labuan. Amongst them are a few birds from Sulu, but 

 apparently not the result of a separate expedition, but pre- 

 sented to Mr. Treacher by Mr. Burbidge. To the latter 

 gentleman I am indebted for the following notes : — 



"Among the birds which I saw in Sulu, but could not 

 secure, I would particularly mention — some hornbills, seem- 

 ingly the common black-and-white small kind from Labuan ; 

 a fine white harrier, with black tips to the wings (this is a 

 distinct and handsome bird, not nnfrequently seen circling 

 over rice fields, or grassy plains) ; the ' fire-backed ' pheasant ; 

 and an owl, apparently a larger and brighter-coloured edition 

 of our common barn-owl, or screeching species. The blue, 

 white-ringed kingfisher {HaUyon cMoris) of Labuan is very 

 common here, as is also the rufous, white-headed scavenger 

 hawk or eagle ; f and at least two other species, both larger, 



* See Trans., Linn. Soc. n.s. i. p. 310. 

 f Doubtless Haliastur iiUermediiis. 



