Birds of Celebes; Treronidae. 
603 
the inner part of the inner webs; quills black, the primaries narrowly edged with 
white, the exposed parts of secondaries green, the outer secondaries narrowly edged 
with yellow; under wing-coverts and quills below slate-grey, the former greenish; 
tail above green, the outer feathers blackish, with the terminal 3 cm greenish grey. 
• “Iris sepia; bill green; feet cherry-red, soles brov,Ti-yellow” (cf, Mt. Klabat, 6000 ft. 
circa, 23. Sej^t. 1893: P. & F. Sarasin). 
Female. Similar to the male (Salvad. 4). 
Young. The grey of the head and of the nape tinged with green, no black band on the nape; 
the crimson patch on the sides of the head scarcely apparent; edges of the secondaries 
pale yellowish (Salvad. 4, Brunswick Mns.). 
Measurements. 
Wing 
Tail 
Tarsus 
Bill from 
feath. of 
foi’ehead 
a. (Sarasin Coll. Nr. 47) cf ad., Mt. Klabat .... 
176 
150 
34 
18 
b. (Sarasin Coll. Nr. 224) cf ad., Tomohon, 8. IV. 94 . 
180 
— 
— 
18 
c. (Nehrk. Coll. Nr. 904) cf ad., Eurukan, 14. IV. 85. 
183 
160 
— 
17.5 
Distribution. North Celebes: — the Minahassa (Fischer a I), Eurukan (Platen), Mt. Klabat 
and Tomohon (P. & F. Sarasin); Mantinang Mts. (iid. cl). 
This rare species is as yet known only from the Northern Peninsula of 
Celebes. Dr. Brilggemann’s type was obtained somewhere near Manado, and 
the author suggested that the bird might be a straggler from the interior of the 
island, a view which we were at first inclined to accept. But a whole series 
was obtained, as Mr. Nehrkorn informs us, by Dr. Platen near Rm’ukan in 
the mountains of the Minahassa, and it was found again in September, 1893, by 
the Drs. P. & F. Sarasin near^ the summit|of Mount Klabat (circa 6000 ft.), again 
in the mountains of the Minahassa near Tomohon and again at about 3300 ft. 
on the Mantinang Mts. near Buol; it appears, therefore, to be a mountain- 
haunting bird, and its scarcity in collections is probably due to collecting diffi- 
culties. It is easily distinguishable from P, meridional is of South Celebes by its 
bright grass- green back and wings. It has no other very near allies, Ptilopus 
occipitalis (Gray) of the Philippines being perhaps most like it, though this species 
is easily distinguishable by the crimson on its hind head and lower breast and 
its ochraceous jugulum and chest. 
In many species of the genus Ptilopus, but by no means in all (cf. Elliot, 
P. Z. S. 1878, 508), the first primary is abruptly attenuated for the terminal 
15 — 25 mm ca., much as is seen in so many species of the Bucerotidae, in some 
of the Paradiseidae, as well as in many other Pigeons. In the case of the 
Hornbills this peculiarity led us to make some inquiries into the flight of these 
birds, Avith the result that we found that a much attenuated first primary was 
accompanied by especially poor flying-powers and stationary habits. No such 
inference can be made from the Ptilopodes, which undoubtedly fly well and swiftly. 
But in the Pigeons, as in the Hornbills, it is seen that the attenuated tip lies 
on the under surface of the wing, Avhere it must be submitted to friction and 
fretting with each stroke of the elastic quills above it. To this cause (attrition) 
which we have already cited as the correct explanation for the shape of many 
76 * 
