560 
Birds of Celebes; Stuniidae. 
knowledge, in the south, where it seems to he represented by Calornis minor. 
This is suggestive, in the case of a bird of such excellent flying-powers, of re- 
cent immigration into the country, a view which is confirmed by the complete, 
or almost complete, identity of the birds in the Northern Peninsula with Philip- 
pine ones, and in the Southern Peninsula with the Lesser Sunda species; it is 
pretty certain, however, that Mr. Wallace did not have the good fortune to 
come across the bird during the months of June to September owing per- 
haps to its local movements, though we received it from Manado in August and 
September. 
Where this species, or its allies, occur on small islands, they are always 
larger in size than on the neighbouring mainland , as shown by C. panayensis 
tytleri, altirostris, enganensis, sangiren^is. 
The Glossy Starling is, as Hickson remarks, the commonest bird met with 
throughout the islands which lie between Celebes and the Philippines, — viz. 
Biarro, Euang, Tagulandang, Siao, Sangi, Talaut, and the Nanusa Islands. In 
colour these birds do not differ from the Celebes race, but the Sangi and Talaut 
birds are always bigger, yet, as shown by the above table of measurements, every 
transition is found on the islands between Great Sangi and North Celebes. 
Considerable individual variation in the important character of size occurs, as 
will be seen on comparing the measurements of specimens r and t from the 
same locality, Ruang, or f and g' from Kabruang. 
The peculiar insular avian forms of the Sangi and Talaut Islands are com- 
monly larger than those of the mainland of Celebes, and we know of no case 
of a local race being smaller in Sangi or Talaut than in Celebes. C. panagensis 
nangirensis follows the rule. Other examples of this increase of size on the Sangi 
and Talaut Islands are afforded by Tanygnathis muelleri sangirensis, Ceycopsis 
sangirensis, Cittura sangirensis, Dicaeum sangirense and talautense, Acmonorkynchus 
sangirensis , Anthreptes malaccensis chlorigaster. Zoster ops nehrhorni, Oriolus formosus 
and melanisticus. 
Nothing is easier than to suggest explanations how this condition of in- 
creased size in the insular forms came about; for instance, Birds-of-prey are 
scarce in the islands, and among many birds the males are supposed to be more 
numerous than the females'), consequently the stouter males will secure 
partners, the weaker not; while on the mainland Birds-of-prey are plentiful, 
and small individuals (in our own kind at least) are quicker-witted and know 
how to look after themselves better than big ones, and these will be they which 
will best avoid the dangers which surround them; but there hardly seems to 
be a means as yet known of ascertaining what is the correct explanation. 
In its habits the Glossy Starling is said to resemble the Common Starling 
of Europe, except that it is rarely or never seen on the ground. It flies and 
‘) We should he sorry to commit ourselves to this theory with its present shaky basis of proof. 
