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Show 1877-1 DUKE-OF-YORK ISLAND, ETC. 113 61. ARDEA FLAVICOLLIS, Lath. Ardetta flavicollis, Gould, B. Austr. vi. pl. 65. One skin either of the true A. flavicollis, or of its Australian representative A. gouldi, Bp. (if these are really distinguishable). 62. MEGAPODIUS HUESKERI, Cab. et Reichenow. Messrs. Cabanis and Reichenow (J. f. 0. 1876, p. 326) describe the Megapode of New Hanover as M. hueskeri; and I suppose the single skin sent by Mr. Brown to be of the same species. But Prof. Salvadori tells me that he finds it very difficult to distinguish M. hueskeri from M. forsteni of the island of Bouru. 63. RALLINA TRICOLOR, G. R. Gray, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 188; Gould, B. Austr. Suppl. pl. 78. One skin of this species, which extends over New Guinea, the Aru Islands, and Cape York. The collection also contains single skins of the following well-known species:- 64. CHARADRIUS FULVUS (Gm.), from Duke-of-York Island. 65. CHARADRIUS MONGOLICUS, Pall. 66. NUMENIUS UROPYGIALIS, Gould. 67. TOTANUS INCANUS (Gm.), from Duke-of-York Island. 68. TRINGOIDES HYPOLEUCUS (Linn.), from Duke-of-York Island. 69. STERNA FULIGINOSA (Gm.). 70. ANOUS STOLIDUS (Linn.), from New Ireland. Having now passed in review the seventy species in Mr. Brown's collection, let us, before making any general remarks on it, consider what was already known of the ornis of these islands. Duke-of- York Island and New Britain may be dismissed in a few words, no previous naturalist having, so far as I am aware, made any investigation of the faunas, although a few chance specimens mav have been procured from them1. But New Ireland has been more favoured. In 1823 it was visited by the French naturalist, Lesson, during the celebrated voyage of the ** Coquille,' which added so much to our knowledge of the fauna of the Eastern Islands. The ' Coquille' remained from the 12th to the 21st of August of that year at Port Praslin, near the extreme south of New Ireland2. In July 1827 1 New Britain is the undoubted patria of Casuarius bennettii, of which the first (living) example was received by the Society in 1857. 2 Cf. Zool. Voy. Coquille, i. p. 329 et seq. PKOC. ZOOL. SOC.-1877, No. VIII. 8 |