Birds of Celebes; Zosteropidae. 
489 
4. Z. atrifrons Wall.: North Celebes; 
5. Z. subatrifrons M.&Wg.: Peling; 
6 . Z. delicatula Sharpe: S. E. Guinea and [Z. frontalis Salvad.) Aru; 
7. Z. chrysolaema Salvad.: Arfak Mts,, N. W. New Guinea. 
Z. dara is distinguishable from atrifrons by its having the middle of the 
breast and abdomen yellow, the other species by their somewhat larger size; 
Z. atricapilla further by its having the whole crown of head black, Z. delicatula 
by its having the sinciput as well as the forehead black and the throat bright 
yellow, not greenish ochre-yellow, the under tail-coverts brighter yellow, the sides 
of the breast less tinted with grey (Salvad., Sharpe), Z. chrysolaema by its 
dusky brown forehead and deep golden yellow throat (Sharpe). The differences 
between atrifrons and nehrkorni are very accurately pointed out by W. Blasius 
(13): Z. nehrkorni is larger, and on the upper surface, especially on the rump 
and upper tail-coverts, lighter and brighter green-yellowish, it has a bright 
golden yellow colovir on chin, throat and under tail-coVerts ; bill and feet paler. 
The peculiar, disjointed character of the geographical distribution of Zoster ops 
atrifrons and its allies can only be understood on the explanation that the birds 
spread their range by flight, though we may expect to find yet other members 
of this gToup in the Moluccas. In the light of what Sir Walter Buller 
writes (B. New Zeal. 2“^ed. 1888, I, p. XLI, 78 — 81) on Z. caerulescens (Lath.) of 
Australia, New Zealand, and the Chatham Islands, the distribution by flight is 
no great assumption. Z. caerulescens in New* Zealand was only known from the 
South Island, and “crossed Cook’s Strait, for the flrst time within the memory 
of man, in the winter of 1856, coming over in numerous flocks, as if to explore 
the country; then retired for two years, and reappeared in greater numbers 
than before in the winter 1858, since which time it has been a permanent 
resident in the North Island, breeding in every district and becoming more 
plentiful every year”. Very suggestive also is the following note by Mr. G. B. 
Owen recorded by Sir- W. Buller (p. 79): “On my passage from Tahiti to 
Auckland, per brig Rita, about 300 miles north of the North Cape of New 
Zealand, I saw one morning several little birds flying about the ship. From 
their twittering and manner of flying I concluded that they were land-birds, and 
they were easily caught. They were of a brownish grey and yellowish colour, 
with a little white mark round the eye. 1 saw several pass over the ship during 
the day, travelling northwards. I arrived in Auckland a few days afterwards, 
on the 20*’’ of May, when the so-called Blightbirds ( Zosterops caerulescens) ap- 
peared here in such numbers, and I at once recognised them as the same . 
Such facts as these make it pretty clear how Zosterops may have reached the 
volcanic, almost mammalless islands of Polynesia, w'here these small birds are 
now known as far east as Ponape and Fiji. 
Z. atrifrons in North Celebes seems to be sociable in its habits. Dr. Platen 
(12) speaks of a swarm of something like a hundred in the coffee - plantations 
Meyer & Wigleswortli, Birds of Celebes (Nov. nth, 1897). 62 
