24 G MR. R. B. SHARPE ON SOME [Spr. 17,

5. Notcs on Specimcns in the Hume Collection of Birds. By 1%. RUWULEIL SHARPE, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &.--No. 6 ’ . On some Species of the Genus Digenea.

[Receirod Api-11 3, 1888.1

W i e n arranging the il3uscicnpida belonging to the IIume Collec- tioti, I laid aside a specimeu belonging to tlie g e m s Digenea, whicli alipeaied to me to bc new to science, but which 1 did not lihe to describe from a single shin. 111 the Tweeddale Collection, however, I liavc found another example, aud it is so evidently distiiict that 1 no loiigcr hesitate to give a name to the species.

D~GCNEA LEucom, sp. n. A d d t . General colour above light olivc-browii, with somcwliat of

an ashy tinge ; wing-coverts lihe the back, the greater series some- what more ruddy bron II externally ; bastard-wing, priniary-coberts, and quills dusky brown, exteriially ruddy olive ; u l q m tail-coverts rather more reddish brown than the back ; tail-featlieis dusky brown, citeinally reddish brown ; crown of head like the back; a white line acioss the base of the forehead, wiideiiiiig into a large 5Upraloral spot ; feathers about the eye washed with ashy grey ; lores ashy, as a130 tlie feathers round the eye ; ear-coierts and cheeks ashy, washed oitli olibe ; throat white, the cliiu and a broad band 011 each side of the throat black, continued downwards and forming a collar on the fore neck ; chest mid breast pale ashy, with a slight tinge of olire- biown ; abdomen wliitc : sides of body and flanks olive-brown ; tliiglis olive-hrown ; under tail-coverts white ; under wiiig-core1 ts a i d nsillaries white ; quills below dusky bruwii, white along the iiiiier web : “bill slaty Liown j feet white, tiiiged fleshy ; iris bright dark brown ” (R. G. Wardlaw-Ranisoy). Total length 4.3 inches, culnien 0.45, a iug 2.5, tail 1-75, tarsus 0.8.

IIa6. Sliillong (J. Cochburn : mus. A. 0. IIume) ; Karen-nee (It. G. ?Viirdluw-I~ccmsay ; wius. l‘weedd.).

A t the time of writing the fourth volume of the ‘ Catalogue of Birds,’ I had not seen a specimen of Digenea submoniliger of IIume, and 1 now propose to give a description of this species from the series iii the I-Iuine Collection.

DIGENEA SUDMONILIGER.

AduZt. General colour above light olive-brown, a little more ruddy brown on’tlie head ; wing-coveitr like the back, the greater coverts with a slight tinge of ruddy brown externally ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills dusky brown, externally olive-brown, with a very slight ruddy tinge ; upper tail-coverts rufous ; tail- feathers dark brown, externally rufous ; base of forehead, lores, eyebrow, and feathers round eye clear tawny buff; ear-coverts and

See P. Z. 8. 1867, p. 470.

1888.1 SPECIES, OF T H E GENUS DIGENEA. 24 7

cheeks olive-brown, washed with tawnv buff, especially on the fore part of the latter ; throat entirely white, the sides of it brown like the cheeks ; the mhole throat encircled by a narrow line of black, rery indistinct on the sides of the throat, a little plainer on the fore neck ; breast light olive-browo, as also the sides of body, flanks, and thighs ; lower breast and abdomen white ; under tail-coverts white ; iiiider wing-coverts white ; asillaries olive-brown, edged w i t h white ; qiiills below dusky brown, ashy or buffy whitish along the inner edge. Total length 4.7 inches, culmen 0.5 , wing 2-45, tail l a t i , tiirsus 0.75.

I may at the same time take the opportuiiity of desciibing a second new sprcies from Perak :-

DIGCNEA MALAYANA, sp. 11.

Adult male. Similar to D. morLiliger in the rufous appearance of the wing, and deep olive-browu on the back like that species. I t differs from it i n having rufous che arid ear-coherts, and in the forehead, lores, and eyebrow being d orange-rutous, almost chest- nnt ill tint. Total length 4.5 inches, culrnen 0.5, wing 2.65, tail 1.85, tarsi15 0.75.

Huh. Mountains of Larut, Perak. Piwm l){yenea su ln tod iger this spccies differs not only in the

rcdclisli colour of the wings, but in the rufous on the liead and the orniige of the lores a i d eyebrow.

The following is a revised " Key to the species '' of Diyenea (cf. Cat. B. iv. p. 458) :- a. Olive-brown abow ; breast and sides of body olive-brown. a'. Base of i'urchcad tawny buff or rufescent. a". Outer aspect of quills riifescent. a"'. Ear-covcyts nsl~y olirc-brruwn ; egrbbrow tawny buff ... moniliger.

rufoi~s ........................................................... malcqp&a.

brown, with a ruclcly tinge ..................................... sz~bmonilipr.

b"'. Ear-corerts rufons brown ; eyebrow and lores orange-

b". Outer aspect, of quills olive-brown, scarcely diffcrcni from the back- ; lores aiid eyebrow tawny buff'; ear-coverts

b'. Base of forrliead and lures white ........... .............. albijions. b. Rukius-brown above and also 011 the breast. and sides of body ;

eyebrow and loreg deep clieetnut ; eicles of face also chestnut. solitaria.

The very peruliar coloration of these birds and their constnnt black necklace on the throat malies me doubt whether they shonld be united to Diyeneu, in which the mode of colour is so different. They might, perhaps, be fairly separated as Artth@es, in which cnse they wuuld have to be called A. moniliyer, A. wialoyurta, A . sub- moniligey, 8. albifrons, and A. soli twia.

248 MR. C. M. WOODFORD ON T H E p i a y 1,

May 1, 1888.

Professor Flower, C.B., LL.D., F.R.S., President, in the Chair.

c‘ol. Irby, F.Z.S., exhibited, on behalf of Lord Lilford, a specimen of Aquila rapax from Southern Spain, being, as he believed, the first jiositirely authentic specimen of this species of Eagle obtained within the limits of the Peninsula.

Prof. Plower, C.B., LL.D., F.R.S., exhibited and made remarks on a spwimen of a Japanese Domestic Cork, with enormously eloii- gnted tail-coverts, tlie longest of whicli meiisnrcd nine feet in length. Tlie specimen had been presented to the British hluseuin by Mr. F. D. Parker.

The following papers were read :-

1. Gcneral Remarlis on the Zoology of tlic Solomon Islands, I3y C. 31. WOOD- and Notes on Brenchlcy’s Megapodc.

II’OKD, F.Z.S. [Received April 30, 1688.1

The Solomons are a group of large islands situated about 500 miles east of New Guinea, a i d are included by Wallace in his Austro- Malayan subdivision of the Australian Region. Zoologically they are most interestiug, as they form the extreme ensteru limit of tlie extension of Marsupials.

As niiglit be expected, the group is not particulnrly rich in Mam- mals ; but scvcral species of frugivorous and insectivorous Bats occur. alany of these arc pxnliar t o the group, my own collections having added three new genera and five species to the list, besides t h e e new species of Illus. Marsupials are represented by one, and perhaps two, sliecies of Cuscus, Cuscus orientalis being common. I was once told by a native, w h o had been to Queenslatid, arid who conseqiieiitly should have I\uown Wallabies when he saw one, that 1~’allabies arc to be found in tlie niountaiiis of Guadalcanar ; but I am iiicliued to doubt the information, and my offer of a very large amoutit of “ trade ” for the whole or any part of a Wallaby from that island met with no response.

Several species of fruit-eating Pigeons and of the snialler Ptilopus occnr commonly. Tlie wide-ranging Nicobar Pigeon ( C a l m a s n i c o l w i c u s ) is frequeritly met with, and IS not afraid to venture considerable distances iroiii land. On mv last visit to the group one flew on boaid aid rettled for sonie seconds, when we were distant forty miles to the nestwtird of Iteiiual 1 s h d - a ~ outlyiiig islaud that cdii

The Birds of the Solomons are extremely ititeresting.