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Show 114 MR. G. E. DOBSON ON BATS [Feb. 20, another French discovery-vessel, the 'Astrolabe,' passed several days in the adjoining port Havre Carteret; and Messrs. Quoy and Gaimard, the naturalists on board, though embarrassed by bad weather, made several additions to Lesson's ornithological discoveries. In the summer of 1841, Havre Carteret was again visited by the English vessel H.M.S. 'Sulphur' (under the command of Sir E. Belcher). Surgeon Hinds certainly made a collection of birds on the occasion, although Mr. Sharpe informs me that only three specimens are registered in the British Museum as having been obtained in New Ireland from the voyage of the ' Sulphur.' From these sources we were acquainted, previously to the arrival of the present collection, with the existence of some 25 birds in New Ireland1. Mr. Brown has added at least six or seven species to the list; and it is only from the defective labelling of his specimens, as I believe, that we have not obtained from him a much more complete insight into the character of its ornis. Enough, however, is now known to show that New Ireland must be referred decidedly to tbe Papuan Subregion2 of the Australian avifauna. The presence of such forms as Gracula, Eclectus, Nasiterna, Lorius, and Calcenas is quite sufficient to prove that it belongs strictlv to the northern section of the Australian Region, rather than to Australia itself; and there can be little doubt that N e w Britain, N ew Hanover, and the whole of the Solomon groups belong strictly to the same subregion. Let us hope that Mr. Brown may be induced to continue his collections, and to give us further opportunities of continuing these interesting investigations. 2. O n a Collection of Chiroptera from Duke-of-York Island and the adjacent parts of N e w Ireland and N e w Britain. By G. E. DOBSON, M.A., M.B., F.L.S., &c. [Received February 2, 1877.] (Plate XVII.) Mr. P. L. Sclater, Secretary of the Society, has most kindly placed in m y hands for examination an exceedingly interesting collection of Chiroptera from Duke-of-York Island aiid andajcet coasts of New Ireland and New Biitain, forwarded to him by the Rev. George Brown, C.M.Z.S. Although the collection consists of seventeen specimens only, twelve distinct species are represented, of which four are undescribed, one is the type of a new genus and species, and ten are new to the fauna ot these little-known islands. 1 I had intended to have given a complete list of the known birds of New Ireland as an appendix to the present paper, but, not having had time to complete it satisfactorily, must reserve it for a future communication. 2 For general remarks on the division of the Australian Region into subreffions see P. Z. S. 18C.9, p. 125. 6 '' |