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Show 98 MR. P. L. SCLATER ON BIRDS FROM [Feb. 20, from his correspondence, and from notices in several newspapers and journals1, that Mr. Brown's head quarters during the year which he passed in this district were Port Hunter, Duke-of-York Island, where is the Wesleyan Church and Mission, and that frequent excursions were made thence to the adjoining large islands of N e w Britain and New Ireland. Writing on February 4th, 1876, he speaks of having been seven times over to New Ireland in three months, and of there being missionary stations at Nodup and Matupi in New Britain, both occupied by native teachers. It may be assumed, therefore, that Mr. Brown's collections were formed on those parts of the islands of N ew Britain and New Ireland which are nearest to Duke-of- York Island2, as shown in the accompanying outline chart (p. 97). The collection of birds which Mr. Brown has transmitted to me for determination consists of 89 skins, belonging to 70 species, of which 10 appear to be new to science, as shown in the subioined Table. 0 II. Coccyges III. Psittaci V. Accipitres VII. Columba} VIII. Gallina} X. Limicola} XI. Gavia} Skins. 25 16 10 1 5 3 20 1 1 5 2 89 Species. 20 13 8 1 4 2 13 1 1 5 2 70 New to Science. 5 1 1 1 2 10 The following is a detailed account of them 3 :- 1. CISTICOLA RUFICEPS, Gould, B. Austr. iii. pl. 45 (?). Apparently a worn specimen of this species, which Mr. Sharpe 1 See Wesleyan Missionary Notices for Feb. 1876, p. 28, and Jan. 1877, p. 17. 2 Since this paper was read I find that Mr. Brown has sent a communication to the Eoyal Geographical Society on his expedition to Duke-of-York Island. It appears from this memoir (which, through Mr. Bates's kindness, I have had the opportunity of reading in MS.) that Duke-of-York Island is not, as is marked on the chart, one island, but a group of twelve islands, of which seven are inhabited. Mr. Brown states that he examined about 130 miles of the coast of New Ireland, from Cape Bougainville northward, and crossed the island from west to east, at a point N.N.B. of Duke-of-York Island. On New Britain M r Brown examined the coast from Cape Orford and Spacious Bay to Cape Palliser on the west, and thence round Blanche Bay, and as far as Port Weber at the head of a deep bay about 20 miles east of Cape Lambert. The collections sent were therefore, we may presume, all made within these limits.-P. L. S. 3 Prof. Salvadori, to whom I transmitted Mr. Brown's collection for examination, has most kindly furnished me with some notes on the specimens of which, at his request, I have not hesitated to make use. |