IN TIMOR-LAUT, 



365 



Captiiin in the Dutch Army, and of appreciation of his extreme kindness 

 and hospitality, and of tho f^roatest possible afisistance rendered by him 

 to me in Sumatra, and raoro especially in Amboina to my wife and myjielf, 

 both before and after our return from the Teniml-»er Islands, Dr. M»*cMk 

 is well known in the Arcliipetafjo for liis extensive collections of Molusca 

 fishes, snakes, and inisecta, [H. O. F.] 



42. Geocichla scinsTACKA, Meyer, op. cit. 



43. Pitta vigorsii, God. fide Meyer, 



44. MUNIA MOLUCCA, L. 



45. Erttiieiura TRicaimA, Kittl, 



46. Calorn'is gulahis, G. It. Gr. 



€. TMtnffiat, Sclater, P. Z. S. loc. snp, cit. 

 C. a'rciimscnpta, Meyer, op. siip. cit. 



The species of Cahmfs from the Tenimber Islaiuls has been distin- 

 guished from C metallica as a new species, C. circuviseripta by Dr. Meyer. 

 I have a large eeries of skins in my collection, and that they belong to a 

 species distinct from €. utefuUim isnndonbted, and, as Dr. Meyer observes, 

 tnoy can, wlien mised np with any niiml>er of fij>ecies of Cal&rnis, be nn* 

 hesitatingly picked out by the coloration of the tluoat. The throat-plmnes 

 in C. rnfMiifira are prominently longer and more mncronate than those in 

 the Timor-laut specimens, Tho violet of the mantle, however, contrary 

 to the note of Dr. Meyer, has the blue-green reflexions observable in C. 

 vit(aUiai qnito distinct in most of my specimens, if the eye be ^* placed 

 between the bird and the light" in position A, as described by Dr, Gadow 

 (P. Z. S. 1882, p. 400), that is with " the eye and tho light almost in a 

 level with the planes to lie examined." A species of CuJomia discovered 

 by Mr. Wallace in Mysol (of winch tho tyjie is in the British Musenm) 

 was named C\ (fufaris by G. R. Gray; bnt wfis considered by Count 

 Salvfldori (the label tearing the name in his handv-Titinp) as mftfinica, 

 while it remained unique. After comparison of this skin with Tiraor- 

 lant specimens, the two are tinffuestionubhf identical, C. circumscripta 

 fiVTeyer) raust^ therefore, be considered henceforth a svnonym of C. gularis, 

 u, li. Gr., which must now tjc removed from being a synonym of C. 

 metaiiim to specific rank, confirming tlie opinion eipresse<l in 1876 (' Ibis,' 

 p. 46J by Mr. Bowdlcr Sharjie, who eays: "I must pronounce this, 

 contrary to Lord Waldcn's opinion, a very good species, distingniehed by 

 its purple throat and small bill, the cnlmen only measuring '65 inch, as 

 against '85 in C, viridescrns.'^ This measurement is not the only one by 

 which the species can ho distinguished, for the plumage in every specimen 

 is BO constant that the skins cannot easily be confounded with any other. 

 (■'. ffularis is slightly less, and more brightiy metallic — a more beautifnl 

 bird, in my opinion, even than the true 0. meiallica ; the purple of the 

 throat, which is more chastely and delicately feathered than in C. 

 metalUca, is separated from the purple of the back and upper breast by a 

 narrow and very briijht green band. The total length of the bird in 14 

 specimens ranged from 210-250 ndllim. Count Salvadori (P. Z. S., 1878, 

 p. Sy) remarks: " Some specimens (of C, ntpJaUim) have the throat more 

 purplish tlian others, one from Mysol (C guhirts, GrayJ cannot be 

 separated from others from Halmaheira and Cape York.*' 1 have not seen 

 any Halmaheira specimens; bnt the Cape- York bird undoubtedly differs 

 by the purple on the breast, which is green in C. guhiris ; the green neck- 

 band is much broader, and the throat is more markedly green and with- 

 out pnrple. It has, I believe, been separated as C. purpttraa€m», Salv. 

 The Admiralty-Island Culornis is somewhat similar to C. gnlaris, bnt is at 



