McAllan: Ramsay’s Solomon Islands bird types 
37 
Cinnyris melanocephalus Ramsay, 1879, Nature 20: 125, 
(5 June 1879) and 
Cinnyris (?) dubius Ramsay, 1879, Proceedings 4: 83-84, 
(16 June 1879). 
[ =MyzomeIa melanocephala (Ramsay, 1879)] 
This species was named by Ramsay in his first paper that 
used Cockerell’s collections, at a time where he had viewed 
the entire collection. Any specimens of this taxon that can be 
identified as collected by Cockerell are thus types. 
Australian Museum. Five syntypes: 0.18738, 0.18739, 
A. 3918, A.3919, A.3920, as recorded by Longmore (1991). 
0.18738, ex Dobroyde collection, registered 1912. Labelled 
as a type of “Cinnyris dubius” and a male. 0.18739, ex 
Dobroyde collection, registered 1912. Labelled as a type of 
“Cinnyris dubius” and a probable female. A.3918, A.3919 
and A.3920 do not have original labels. The register notes 
that all three are types of “Cinnyris melanocephalus” and 
were collected by “Capt. Brodie & Cockerell”. 
Museum Victoria. Three syntypes: B. 19563, B. 19564, 
B. 19565. All three are labelled on another tag: Cockerell’s 
Solomon Isds Coll.; Jan.23/79. The specimens have the 
following details on the strip wrapping: B. 19563, Solomon 
Isl., Oct 78, male; B.19564, Solomon Isl., Oct 78, female; 
B. 19565, Solomon Isl., Oct 77 [sic, lapsus for 78], female. 
Macleay Museum. Two syntypes: B.2849; B.2850. Both are 
labelled “Cinnyris melanocephala, Ramsay. Solomon Is.” by 
Masters. These specimens are both of a typical Cockerell 
make and were overlooked as types by Stanbury (1969). 
Graucaluspusillus Ramsay, 1879, Proceedings 4: 71, and 
Graucalus solomonensis Ramsay, 1879, Proceedings A : 314 
(replacement name for G. pusillus). 
[= Coracina lineata pusilla (Ramsay, 1879)] 
Australian Museum. Lectotype: 0.18714. This specimen 
is from the Dobroyde collection and was registered in 1912. 
It was labelled by Ramsay as a type of Graucalus pusillus 
from the Solomons and as a possible adult male. One 
paralectotype: 0.18713. 
Also from the Dobroyde collection and registered in 1912, 
this specimen was labelled by Ramsay as a type of Graucalus 
pusillus from the Solomons. The sex was not noted. 
Schodde (1977) designated the lectotype, but did not 
note the paralectotype which was found later by Longmore 
(1991). Ramsay (1879c) gave it the replacement name of G. 
solomonensis. Ramsay evidently believed the replacement 
name was necessary as Sharpe (1879) had referred to 
“Campephaga pusilla Blyth”. Sharpe referred to Gray 
(1869) as the source of Blyth’s name. Several authors (e.g., 
Mathews, 1930; Mayr, 1945a; Galbraith & Galbraith, 1962) 
have followed Ramsay, but as pointed out by Schodde 
(1977) the name as published in Gray is a nomen nudum 
and no other reference by Blyth to the name as quoted by 
Gray is known. Consequently the valid name must remain 
as Coracina lineata pusilla . 
Graucalus elegans Ramsay, 1881, Nature 24: 277. 
[= Coracinapapuensis elegans (Ramsay, 1881)] 
Ramsay originally did not give the source of the specimens 
from which he named this taxon. In his following Proceed¬ 
ings paper (Ramsay, 1881b) he noted that most of the taxa 
were provided by Lieutenant Richards. However, Graucalus 
elegans was collected by Cockerell on “Guadalcanal’. 
After his listing of the scientific name Ramsay referred to 
“Graucalus hypoleucus, Ramsay, P.L.S., ofN.S.W.”. This is 
a clear reference to Ramsay’s first Proceedings paper of 1879 
where Ramsay commented on Cockerell’s specimens from 
Guadalcanal under the name Graucalus hypoleucus. Ramsay 
had seen all Cockerell’s Solomons specimens before writing 
the 1879 paper and thus Ramsay’s reference to this paper 
in his 1881 account means that the specimens in Museum 
Victoria, the Macleay Museum and Milan are also syntypes. 
Australian Museum. Three syntypes: A.3822, A.3824, 
A.3825. A.3822, labelled as a male “Graucalus hypoleucus 
Gould” from “Guadalcanal’. A.3824, labelled as a male 
“Graucalus hypoleucus Gould” from “Guadalcanal’. 
A. 3825, labelled as a female “Graucalus hypoleucus Gould” 
from “Guadalcanal’. The register notes that all three were 
collected by “Capt. Brodie & Cockerell”. 
These specimens were identified as syntypes by Longmore 
(1991). Specimen A.3823 was also registered with the same 
details but has not been located. This missing specimen was 
probably exchanged with Finsch and now in the collection 
in Milan. Even though at least three of these four specimens 
were in front of Ramsay at the time of the description of 
Graucalus elegans , neither the labels nor the register were 
adjusted to show these specimens were types. 
Museum Victoria. Four syntypes: B. 19570, B. 19571, 
B. 19572, B. 19573. These specimens have the following 
details on the strip wrapping: B. 19570, Solomon Isl., Oct 
78, male; B. 19571, Guadalcana [= Guadalcanal], Solomon 
Island[s], No r 78, female; B. 19572, Solomon Island[s], No r 
78, female; B. 19573, Lanio, Solomon Isld, female. All four 
are labelled on additional tags: “Cockerell’s Solomon Isds 
Coll.; Jan.23/79”. 
Macleay Museum. Three syntypes: B.4892, B.4893, 
B.4894. These three specimens were labelled by Masters 
“Graucalus. Solomon Is.”. They are of typical Cockerell 
make and although not sexed are adults, and were overlooked 
as types by Stanbury (1969). 
Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Milano. One syntype. 
In the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Milano there is a 
specimen of this taxon of Cockerell make which came to 
the Museum in 1882, undoubtedly being originally acquired 
from Ramsay by Otto Finsch (McAllan et al., 2005). It is 
labelled as a male “ Graucalus elegans or minor Ramsay, 
sp. nov. Ramsay” with the locality “Guadalcanal’ (pers. 
obs., 2 September 1994). Ramsay kept a visitors book at the 
Australian Museum now lodged with the Mitchell Library 
(in uncatalogued material). Finsch visited the Australian 
Museum on 29 August 1881. Although there is no account of 
the visit, the letter from Finsch to Ramsay indicates duplicate 
specimens were exchanged between them at this meeting 
(McAllan et al, 2005). Ramsay named the taxon at a meeting 
of the Linnean Society of NSW on 23 February 1881, and it 
first appeared in print in Nature on 21 July 1881, though it 
