OCR Text |
Show 518 MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE GENUS PTILOPUS. [May 7, Pt. wallacei. Pt. aurantiifrons, Pt. zonurus, and Pt. perlatus), and Yule Island, lying to the south-east of the mouth of Fly River, in the Papuan Gulf, and close to the coast, with two (Pt. coronulatus and Pt. gestroi, the last intermediate between Pt. ornatus and Pt. perlatus). The next group of the Austro-Malayan Islands that claims our attention is the Moluccas; and, commencing with the furthest north, Sanghir is the first to be considered : here is found a race of Pt. melanocephalus from Java, which has become possessed of sufficient characteristics to separate it from the type, and is known as Pt. xanthorrhous. Gilolo and its small neighbours, Ternate and Batchian, contain four species, found on each, viz. Pt. iogaster, Pt. superbus, Pt. bernsteini, and Pt. monachus. Tidore, on the west, has three-Pt. monachus, Pt. iogaster, and Pt. prasinorrhous ; Morty two, Pt. monachus and Pt. iogaster; Obi one, Pt. bernsteini; Dammor and Kaisa, each one, Pt. monachus ; and Weda and Dodingo also one, Pt. iogaster. Ceram contains three species- Pt. chrysorrhous, Pt. superbus, and Pt. viridis, this last being also found upon the small island of Monavolka, which, together with Matabello, also possesses Pt. prasinorrhous. Banda, to the south of Ceram, has Pt. xanthogaster, which is also found upon the islands of Khoor and Ki, these last having in addition Pt. prasinorrhous. Goram, lying to the east, has two species, the one last named and Pt. viridis. Bouru has three species-Pt. super-bus, Pt. viridis, and Pt. prasinorrhous; while Amboyna has also three species-Pt. superbus, Pt. viridis, and Pt. prasinorrhous ; and Harouka, east of Amboyna, contains Pt. viridis. O f the Timor group, I commence with Timor, which possesses two species, P. ewingii and Pt. cinctus, this last being also found upon the small island of Wetta, to the north of Timor; while Lettie, to the north-east, possesses Pt. lettiensis (a modification of Pt. cinctus) and Pt. xanthogaster. Flores has three species-Pt. ewingii, Pt. albocinctus, and Pt. melanocephalus, this last being also found in Sambawa and Lombock. Celebes has four species, three of which are peculiar to it, viz. Pt. melanospilus, Pt. temminckii, Pt. gularis, and Pt. fischeri; while Sula contains Pt. melanospilus and Pt. chrysorrhous. Australia, the last division of this region, has six species-Pt. regina and Pt. magnificus in N e w South Wales, in the district between the river Hunter and Moreton Bay, Pt. superbus at Cape York and on the Booby Islands, Pt. assimilis and Pt. magnificus in North-east Queensland at Rockingham Bay, Pt. assimilis being also found together with Pt. puella at Cape York, and Pt. ewingii on the Coburg Peninsula near the coast-the distribution of the three forms of Pt. magnificus being decidedly against the view that they represent distinct species. The other zoogeographical region in which these birds are found is the Oriental; and we here find them restricted to the subregion containing the Indo-Malay islands. Of these I commence with the Philippine group, in only one island of which as yet has any species been found, viz. Luzon, containing three (Pt. occipitalis, Pt. jambu, and Pt. leclancheri). The great island of Borneo, and also Sumatra, |