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Show 100 MR. P. L. SCLATER ON BIRDS FROM [Feb. 20, affinis, sed cauda nigra, uropygio et macula verticali albis digno-scenda. 6. MONARCHA CHRYSOMELAS. Muscicapa chrysomela, Garn. Voy. de la Coq. Zool. i. p. 594, Atl. t. 18. f. 2. Monarcha chrysomela, Sw. Class. B. ii. p. 257. Monarcha cordensis, Cab. et Reich. Journ. f. Orn. 1876, p. 320 (?). The locality for this species given in the text of the ' Voyage of the Coquille' is New Zealand ; that given on the plate is New Ireland, which is, no doubt, correct. The New-Guinea bird commonly assigned to this species is conspicuously different, having the greater part of the back black. I propose to call it Monarcha melanonotus1. On the other hand, the form from Kordo, which Meyer has recently named M. kordensis (Sitz. Ak. Wien, lxix. p. 252), comes near the typical M. chrysomelas, but has the black colour rather wider on the back, and extending further down on the throat. In M. kordensis also, the black colour narrowly surrounds the eye, which is not the case in M. chrysomelas. M. chrysomelas is sometimes referred to the genus Arses of Lesson; but the first species in Lesson's list (Traite d'Orn. p. 387), which I suppose must be regarded as the type, is Arses telescophthalma, which certainly belongs to a different form. I may also remark that Arses kaupi of Australia being little more than a representative form of A. telescophthalma, the institution of a separate genus (Ophry-zone) for the former, as has been proposed by Mr. Ramsay (P. Z. S. 1868, p. 383), is unnecessary, and that Ophryzone=Arses. 7. MONARCHA ALECTO. Drymophila alecto, Temm. Pl. Col. 430. fig. 1 ( J ). Monarcha alecto, Meyer, Sitz. Ak. Wien, lxix. p. 504. Muscicapa chalybeocephalus, Garn. Voy. de la Coq. Zool. i.p. 589, Atl. t. 15. f. 2(2). Monarcha chalybeocephalus, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Genova, vii. p. 763. Piezorhynchus nitidus, Gould, B. Austr. ii. pl. 88. New Ireland is the original locality of Gamot's Muscicapa chalybeocephalus; and Mr. Brown sends us a pair of birds from Duke-of- York Island, collected in October 1875, the female of which quite agrees with Garnot's figure and description. I have compared them with a series of Piezorhynchus nitidus from Cape York, collected by Mr. Cockerell, and now in Mr. Godman's collection, and can find no tangible differences. I have also examined skins of the same bird from New Guinea, and am quite inclined to agree with Dr. Salvadori's views (I. s. c.) as to its range and synonyms. Dr. Meyer seems to have arrived at 1 The form from Aru, M. aruensis, Salv. (Ann. Mus. Civ. Genoa, vi. p. 309), appears to have the back as black as the Papuan form. |