HYLOTERPE PHILIPPINENSIS, Waiden. 



Philippine-Islands Thickhead. 



Hyloterpe philippinensis, Wald. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 4, vol. x. p. 252 (1872).— Id. Trans. Zool. Soc. ix. 

 pp. 179, 250, pi. 31. fig. 2 (1875).— Sharpe, Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Zoology, i. p. 351.— Tweedd. 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. 1878, p. 109— Wardlaw Ramsay, Ornith. Works of Marquis of Tweeddale, pp. 234, 

 344, 568, 656 (1881). 



Captain Wardlaw Ramsay has been so good as to lend me several birds from the celebrated collection 

 formed by his late uncle the Marquis of Tweeddale ; and I have great pleasure in introducing to the notice 

 of my readers the very interesting species here figured. It is principally interesting as being an intrusion 

 of a thoroughly Australian form within the limits of the In do-Malayan region ; for although I follow Lord 

 Tweeddale in keeping the genus Hyloterpe distinct from the Australian Pachycephala, I must confess that I 

 have very grave doubts as to the probability of this separation being upheld. In the genus Hyloterpe, 

 however, the sexes are alike in plumage, whereas in the bulk of the members of the genus Pachycephala 

 the males far exceed the females in brilliancy of plumage ; in fact, both sexes of Hyloterpe are very like 

 the females of some of the Pachycephala. 



I cannot do better than quote Lord Tweeddale's remarks on the species in his paper on the Birds of 

 the Philippine Archipelago, to which the bird appears to be confined. It was first discovered by Dr. A. 

 B. Meyer in the island of Luzon, and more recently in Dinagat by Mr. Alfred Everett. 



"Dr. Meyer's researches in the Philippines have added an additional member of a genus hitherto not 

 known to be there represented. The small group of Pachycephaline birds to which the title of Hyloterpe h 

 restricted is now known to contain six species. They are entitled to subgeneric distinction. The sexes 

 are, I believe, alike ; and they possess the further peculiarity that they wear, in adult plumage, a sombre 

 garb recalling the adolescent and the female plumage of the true black-and-yellow P achy cep hales. This 

 Philippine species is a representative form of H. sulphuriventris, Waiden, ex Celebes. Above, it differs by 

 its plumage being olive-green, and not brown, and underneath by the yellow extending higher and being 

 much brighter. The bill is likewise more powerful. Seen from above, H. philippinensis is difficult to 

 distinguish from H. fukotincta, Wallace, ex Flores ; while, in the same way, H sulphuriventris closely 

 resembles H. griseiceps ex N. Guinea. Seen from below, however, the affinities are reversed, the Flores 

 Hyloterpe showing a great resemblance to that of Timor, H. orpheus (Jard.), and the Celebean and 

 Philippine species but differing slightly." 



The following is a copy of Lord Tweeddale's original description of the male bird sent by Dr. Meyer: — 

 " Feathers of the chin, cheeks, throat, and upper breast silky white, edged more or less with cinereous, 

 a dingy sordid aspect being thus given to those parts ; an indistinct obscure zone crossing the breast and 

 bordering the upper breast-plumage, consisting of feathers which are dark ashy at their base, then pure 

 white, tipped with dirty yellow ; the remainder of the under plumage, with the flanks and under tail-coverts, 

 sulphur-yellow, each feather, however, being iron-grey at the base and then white ; entire head dark smoke- 

 brown, lighter on the ear-coverts ; remainder of upper plumage olive-green, rather darker on the outer 

 edges of the quills and on the rectrices ; under carpals and axillaries pale lemon-white ; tail slightly forked ; 

 bill horn-brown. Bill from nostrils 0*32 inch, wing 325, tail 3T2, tarsus - 75." 



Mr. Alfred Everett, as before noticed, procured both sexes of this Hyloterpe on Dinagat, and states that 

 the iris is dark brown, the bill black, and the legs bluish grey. 



My figures are drawn from a pair of skins from Dinagat, for the loan of which I have to thank Captain 

 Wardlaw Ramsay. The sexes are represented as of the size of life. 



[R. B. S.] 



