G26 



MR. E. B. SHARPE ON THE 



honey over it, placing the old honey on yellow paper in between. 

 She came to the honey on the red paper, but after feeding for 

 about half a minute left it, to try that on the yellow. 



I may mention that other observations of the same kind gave 

 similar results ; but it is perbaps hardly worth while to give more 

 details. 



Indeed, while hive-bees were generally contented with any 

 honey I gave them, w^asps showed a very different disposition, 

 and, if there were i3everal drops of honey near one another, flew 

 frequently from one to the other, as if to make sure which they 

 liked best. 



Conduct towards tlieir Friends. 

 With reference to the behaviour as regards comrades, I may 

 observe that the results entirely confirmed those previously ar- 

 rived at. Por instance, a wasp observed and fed from the 7tli 

 to the 12th Sept. did not bring more than three or four friends 

 during the whole of that time. 



Contributions to the Ornithology of New Guinea. By E. Bown- 

 LER Sharpe, P.L.S., P.Z.S., &c. Part V.— On recent Col- 

 lections from the Neighbourhood of Port Moresby, S.E. New 

 Guinea. 



[Eead March 20, 1879.] 



The collection described in the present paper was formed by Mr, 

 Kendal Broadbent, a well-known Australian naturalist, in tlie 

 vicinity of Port Moresby and in the interior. It is one of the 

 most important that has been made by the English travellers in 

 South-eastern New Guinea ; and it will be interesting to compare 

 the species here enumerated with the forthcoming account of 

 Signer D'Albertis's collections from the Fly Eiver. It may be 

 noticed that in this paper a Parrot of the genus Aprosmictus is 

 described, which is closely allied to another species from the Ely 

 Eiver, but yet appears to be distinct, offering a parallel case to 

 the two Crowned Pigeons of Southern New Guinea, where we 

 find Goura Alhcrtisi inhabiting the Port-Moresby district replaced 

 by G. Sclateri on the Ely Eiver. The same mountain-fauna seems 

 to extend from the latter locality along the southern part of New 

 Guinea, at least as far as the mountains in the interior of Port 

 Moresby, if we may judge by the presence of such birds as Dry- 

 mcedus Beccarii and Cinclosoma ajax, which occurs in both Signer 

 D'Albertis's and Mr. Broadbent's collections. When these moun- 



