A COLLECTION OF BIRDS FROM N. E. SUMATRA. 77 



Wing, 122 mm. 



Always much rarer, or at least much more rarely shot 

 than the succeeding species. 



9. Osmotreron vernans(Linn.). 



Bobinson and Kloss, p. 106. 



4 £ , 3 2 Toentoengan, Deli, X. E. Sumatra, 8th Novem- 

 ber 1917 to 23rd December 1917 [Eos. 578, 584, 

 594, 613, 615, 625, 878]. 



$ Polonia, Deli, 1ST. E. Sumatra. 12th December 1916 

 [No. 679]. 



2 S Deli, X. E. Sumatra, 10th May to 3rd June 1916. 



Wing, $ , 133, 136, 138, 132, 135, 132; $, 131, 129, 128 

 mm. 



Oberholser has created several new names for various 

 insular races of this wide spread green pigeon, restricting the 

 typical race to the Philippine Islands. The present series 

 seems considerably smaller than the race from the Anamba 

 Islands which he has named Dendrophassa vernans adina 

 (Bull. U. S. Xat. Mus., 98, p. 21, 1917). Average wing 

 measurements, $ 153-8; 2 150-9 mm. The Sumatran and 

 Malay Peninsula birds are practically identical in size. 



COLUMBIDAE. 



10. Macropygia ruficeps sumatranus, subsp. nov. 



Macropygia ruficeps nana, Eobinson and Kloss, p. 109. 



$ imm, 4 2?. Bandar Baroe, Deli, X. E. Sumatra, 

 1-llth June 1917, and 21st January 1918 [Xos. 421, 

 426, 477, 944, 945]. 



Having had, through the kindness of the authorities of 

 the Sarawak Museum, the opportunity of examining a con- 

 siderable series of Bornean birds including two from Kina 

 Balu, the typical locality of M. r. nana, Stresemann, we are- 

 convinced that Javan, Bornean, Sumatran, and Malayan birds 

 are all subspecifically distinct, and that the differences seen 

 are not those of age alone as stated by Stuart Baker (Indian 

 Pigeons and Doves, p. 249, 1913). We have had before us over 

 seventy specimens from the various localities and after elimi- 

 nating all birds that are in the slightest degree immature find 

 that the Javan bird, which is the typical M. r. ruficeps, can be 

 distinguished at a glance by the almost total absence of black 

 lateral spots on the feathers of the breast. The Bornean bird 

 M. r. nana differs from the Javan in having large black 

 lateral spots on the crop feathers and in having the back and 

 mantle very much darker. 



The Sumatran birds differ from the Bornean in having 

 the head a paler cinnamon buff and the back much more 

 barred; the amythystine gloss on the side of the neck and 



R. A. Soc, No. 80, 1919. 



