OCR Text |
Show 1875.] DR. O. FINSCH ON PRISTORHAMPHUS VERSTERI. 641 the type specimen of this species (which I examined in the Leiden Museum) being in fact " Myiodioctes pusillus, Wils.," a well-known North-American bird. The base of the stand on which the stuffed "type" specimen is placed bears an original label by Dr. Gustav Schlegel, as having been the bird collected by him during his stay at A m o y ; but this label has, no doubt, been unfortunately changed by the stuffer, and the ticket of a Chinese specimen fastened to an American bird. It may be added that the name Abrornis atricapilla was not given by Temminck, but is in Mr. Blyth's own handwriting. 4. On Pristorhamphus versteri, a new Genus and Species of Bird from the Arfak Mountains, N e w Guinea. By O T T O F I N S C H , Ph.D., C.M.Z.S. [Received October 29, 1875.] During my recent stay at Leiden the Rijks Museum received a large and rich collection of birds from the Arfak Mountains in New Guinea, obtained by a Dutch traveller whose name I do not know. Besides fine and perfect specimens of the rarer Birds of Paradise (such as Lophorina, Parotia, Paradigalla, Epimachus, Astrapia), the collection contained, amongst other rare birds, skins of Eupetes leucostictus, Scl., Melirrhophetes, Meyer, Pachycephala flavogrisea, Meyer (which seems to form a peculiar genus), Trichoglossus moesschenbroekii, Carpophaga chalconota, Salvad., and many others. There was also a sombre bird which Professor Schlegel and I took at first glance for the female of Melanocharis (Dicceum) nigra ; but on a closer examination it proved to be quite new, and to form even a new genus. This I propose to call PRISTORHAMPHUS*, gen. nov. Allied to Melanocharis, Scl., but easily distinguished by the long, strongly rounded tail, and the long slender legs. The structure of the bill corresponds exactly with that of Melanocharis, having the margins of both mandibles serrated, but with the serrations stronger and more visibly apparent, especially with the use of a glass. The wing resembles that of Melanocharis: i. e. the fourth and fifth quills are the longest, the third and sixth a little shorter, the first short ; but the second, instead of being equal to the seventh as in Melanocharis, reaches only the length of the ninth. It must be remarked that the second quill feather in Melanocharis shows a slight attenuation at the end of the inner web ; but this peculiarity is only to be seen in old males; whereas females and young males have the second quill rounded at the apex as in Pristorhamphus. The tail is strongly rounded and nearly equal to the length of the wing, whereas Melanocharis has a nearly even tail, which is much shorter than the wing. * Deriv. 7rpiffTt]s=^serra, et pdu(j>os = rostrum. 41* |