1896.] Birds of New Guinea. 713 
Of the group of Nectarinedine birds called Arachnathera, all 
confined to the Indo-Malayan region, three, if not more species 
belong to New Guinea exclusively. These are A. polioptera, 
A. nove guiniæ and A. iliolophus, all about the same small size, 
and, owing to this fact, resembling each other to all appear- 
ance. The first named, A. polioptera, has a steel-blue gray 
head running into olivaceous, becoming yellowish green along 
the neck and back. On the wingsand tail slate-blue takes the 
place of green, relieved along the edges by traces of gray or 
white. The under surface is yellow, retaining, however, the 
olivaceous tint of the upper parts. On the throat there is the 
usual changing hues, common to this class of birds. This 
species lives in the Astrolobe Mountains along with the A. ilio- 
lophus, although the latter seems more widely spread, being 
found as well in the southern portions of the great island. A 
special difference may be pointed out between the two birds, 
the general color is lighter, that is in the loosened, fluffy plu- 
mage of the lower back and sides. In this characteristic ilio- 
lophus has a marked advantage, the feathers becoming very 
soft and considerably elongated over the short tail. Arathno- 
thera nove guiniz is similarly adorned. Its breast, in fact, the 
under parts generally, is more brightly adorned than the 
foregoing, being of a brilliant yellow, dashed, however, with 
olive. In other respects the coloration is nearly the same— 
olive, olive-brown and brown predominating. There may be 
in the present case rather more yellow especially about the face. 
The Javan Swallow—Aviundo frontalis—is only about five 
inches in total length, measuring from the tip of its tiny bill 
to either point of the deeply-forked tail. The general color 
above is dusky, scarcely the usual steely-blue of most swallows, 
but with a darker shade on the shoulder and crown. The 
under parts are much lighter, at least in the case of the New 
Guinea specimens, which are invariably pale; in fact, the abdo- 
men is almost white. On the upper breast and throat a fine 
rufous tint is very prominent. The tail above is a uniform 
black; below there is a broad band of white following the 
triangular form of the fork, but melting at the apex into the 
wavy white of the coverts. The little bird is by no means con- 
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