Birds of Celebes; Sturnidae. 
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black mixed with the glossy gi-een-black feathers of maturity (Manado: v. Musschen- 
broek — 0 5217). 
Distribution. Celebes: Ulinahassa (Wallace 1, 4, Meyer b 6, Fischer 2, etc.); Lembeh 
Id. (Kat. Coll.); Gorontalo Distr. (v. Eosenberg el, Meyer b 6); Tonkean, East 
Celebes (Nat. Coll. S); Macassar (Wallace 1, 4); Tjamba Distr., S. Cel. (Platen 
b IJCj; IndiTilaman, Bonthain Distr. (Everett 9). 
This species, the “King Starling” in the Malay vernacular o£ North Celebes, 
is generally a somewhat scarce species in the island, though Rosenberg found 
it not rare in the hill-forests, where it feeds on fruits. Three species of the 
genus are now known; the present, confined to Celebes, B. corythaiw (Wagl.) 
of Ceram'), with a long and differently-shaped crest, which rises to a point in 
somewhat triangular form above the occiput, and B. galeatus Meyer, from Banggai 
Island, a larger form and with a magnificent crest like that of the Celebes 
species, but three times as long. 
Basileornis is a somewhat isolated sturnine genus, the ridge-crest, which, as 
Mr. Wallace says, resembles in form that of the well-known Cock-of-the- 
Rock of South America, distinguishing it from all other Starlings at a glance. 
Dr. Sharpe (Cat. B. 1890, XIII, 194) appears to us to make a very hazardous state- 
ment touching Fregihipus ijaHMS (Bodd.), the extinct Crested Starling of Reunion, 
when he says that this genus (Fregilupus) “comes very close to Basileornis, but 
differs in its much longer and more convex bill, its more exposed nostrils, and 
in the long crest which commences at the base of the bill” ; it would have been 
more to the point if our learned friend had mentioned any feature whatever in 
which the two birds resemble one another, whether of plumage, structure, or 
any other character. Melanopgrrhus anais (Less.) of New Guinea agrees with 
Basileornis in tarsus, feet, bill, bare skin about the eye, tail, wing, and to a 
considerable extent in coloration; it differs by its smooth crestless head, the 
broad white bar across its wings, and its golden tawny rump and breast, but 
the latter parts are to some extent mixed with black, and the young seems to 
resemble Basilearnis still more in coloration. 
W ere the tail of Basileornis celebensis greatly lengthened and graduated, and 
the white patches on the sides of the breast spread out broadly over the breast 
and across the hind neck, the bird would then bear a not remote resemblance 
to its compatriot, Streptocitta. We are inclined to regard Basileornis as somewhat 
intermediate between Streptocitta and Melanopgrrhus. That Basileornis and Strepto- 
citta gradually arose from a common stem in the island of Celebes itself would 
be a very questionable hypothesis, but it appears most likely that the simpler 
Basileornis celebensis is the form from which the more eccentric B. corgthaix and 
galeatus sprang, and hence Celebes has at present most claim to be regarded as 
the land of origin of Basileornis. To find the form which may have given rise 
to it and to Melanopgrrhus of New Guinea it is necessary to look further back. 
1) Q-ray identified (h J) the Pastor corytliaix Wagl. with the Ceram bird, though Cabanis (a‘i) has 
jjgpe erroneously — that it was described from the type of Temminok’s B. celehmsis. 
