576 
Birds of Celebes: Sturnidae. 
The above measurements show gi'eat individual variableness in regard to the 
tail, a point ah'eady observed by Prof. W. B1 asius. It consists as usual of 12 feathers, 
strongly graduated, the outermost being only 75 — 85 mm long. 
Distribution. South Celebes; Buton or Muna Island (Labillardiere ci I)', Kandari (Beccari 
4, P.& P. Sarasin 11)-, near Macassar (Wallace 1, 2, 9, Everett 72); Maros (Eibbe 
(feKiilin in Dr. Mus., Weber 70); Tjamba Distr. (Platen hi, FI/); Bonthain Distr. 
(Doherty 13, P. &E. Sarasin). 
This species was first made known to science by Labillardiere, one of the 
naturalists who accompanied Dentrecasteaux’s expedition in search of the 
unfortunate “La Perouse”. Labillardiere mentions with some circumstantiality 
that he and his companions killed it in a great forest in New Caledonia, and 
Lesson (f 1) notes that Quoy & Gaimard got it in Vanicoro in the Santa 
Cruz Group ! The genus is, however, found nowhere but in the Celebes Province 
and the present species is known only from the south of the island. Gn his 
way home, after leaving Burn, Dentrecasteaux passed through the Strait of 
Buton between the islands of Buton and Muna. Eighteen days were spent in 
making the imssage, and parties landed on both islands. No other point of Ce- 
lebes was touched at, and there can be no doubt that it was on one of these 
islands that the “Pie de la Nouvelle Caledonie” was obtained. The “A.strolabe”, 
whose collections were treated of by Quoy & Gaimard, called at Manado on 
the way home, and a number of new species were then obtained there. The 
common Streptocitta torquata of North Celebes was no doubt obtained here, and 
confused, apparently, with S. albicoUis by Lesson, to whom possibly the wrong 
locality, Vanicoro, is due. 
In appearance this bird is very like a Magpie, but it seems to occupy an 
intermediate position between the Corvidae and Sturnidae. The absence of pro- 
jecting bristles covering the nostril induces us to class it with the Starlings. A 
trait of character described by Dr. Platen is very Magpie-like; the traveller 
describes his encounter with a fine Bird-of-prey , which was chased with loud 
cries, bold opposition, and occasional attacks with the bill made from the rear 
by six or eight birds of this species. 
The genus Streptocitta is most nearly allied to Charitornis of Sula, which 
has the sides of the face and the chin and upper throat bare. Schlegel (3) 
remarks that Streptocitta approaches the Graculae (Melanopyrrhus, Mainatus) rather 
than the Pies, especially by the relative proportions of the primaries, the bare 
nostrils, the form of the feathers on the sides of the forehead, and the angle 
of the gape being turned downwards, as is the case in the great family of Star- 
lings of which the Graculae are a part. After Charitornis alhertinae, which, 
besides having the face bare of feathers, may he distinguished from Streptocitta 
by its white head and under surface (except crissum, thighs and under tail- 
coverts), we should place Basikornis as the nearest known ally of Streptocitta. 
The characteristic feathering of the head of Basileornis repeats itself to some 
