iELURGEDUS MELANOTIC 



BLACK-CHEEK CAT BIRD. 



PTILONORHYNCHUS ME LAN OTIS, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1858) p. 181. sp. 75.— Von Rosenb. Jour. fur. Ornith. (1864) p. 122.— Schleg. 



Tijdsch. Dierk. pt. v. p. 51. 

 AILURCEDUS MELANOTIS, Gray, Hand-1. Birds (1869), part i. p. 294, sp. 4338. 



Hab. Am Islands (Wallace). Islands of Wok am, Traugan, Maykor (Rosenberg). 



This third species of JElurcedus was described by the late G. R. Gray, F.R.S. &c, from specimens procured by 

 Mr. Wallace in the Aru Islands. It resembles very closely the A. buceoides, but has a much larger bill, besides 

 some other differences. Nothing has been related by its discoverer about its economy or habits ; and it is 

 at present altogether too rare a bird for us to have had any opportunities of learning its mode of life. A single 

 specimen in the British Museum, another in Mr. Wallace's private collection, one in my own, together with a 

 series in the Leyden Museum, procured by the Dutch collectors in the East Indies, are all that are at present 

 known. 



Upper part of head brownish black, each feather with a round buff spot near the tip. Upper part of back the 

 same, the buff spots much larger. Back, wings, and tail deep green, the latter tipped with white. Ear-coverts 

 black. Throat white, barred with dark brown. Upper part -of breast blackish brown, a heart-shaped spot near 

 the tip white. Abdomen and under tail-coverts bright yellow. Flanks greenish yellow, brownish in the centres 

 of the feathers. Bill yellowish white. Feet and tarsi black. 



There is no difference in the plumage of the sexes. 



