OCR Text |
Show 794 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON A N E W INDICATOR. [Nov. 5, on comparing the two birds, that I. conirostris is a very distinct species from I. minor, having the head and back strongly washed with deep golden yellow, the centres of the feathers being blackish instead of pale brown as in I. minor. This contrast is especially seen in the wings, where the golden edgings to the black feathers stand out in bold relief, and make them very different from the appearance of the South-African species. The Fantee bird measures-total length 6 inches, culmen 0*45, wing 36, tail 2*6, tarsus 0*6. INDICATOR ARCHIPELAGICUS (Temm.): Sharpe, t. c.p. 197; id. Ibis, 1877, p. 8. As already recorded by me (I. c.) Mr. Alfred Everett procured a female specimen of this rare species at Bintulu, in North-western Borneo. Temminck's description is not very good ; but the species is unmistakable from its yellow shoulder-spot. INDICATOR EXILIS (Cass.): Sharpe, t. c. p. 198. A specimen of this little Honey-Guide was sent recently from Landana, on the Congo, by M . Petit. INDICATOR MALAYANUS, sp. n. General colour above ashy, washed with olive-yellow, dimly on the head and mantle, the feathers of the back and wings more distinctly edged with olive-yellow, the primaries scarcely perceptibly margined; tail-feathers dark brown, edged indistinctly with olive-yellow, all but the two centre tail-feathers internally whity brown, increasing in extent towards tbe outermost, which is almost entirely whity brown, obliquely dark brown towards the tip; sides of face and ear-coverts dingy ash-colour with a very faint olive tinge; under surface of the body pale yellowish, creamy white on the chin and upper throat, abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts; the feathers of the breast and fore neck with mostly concealed greyish bases, imparting a somewhat mottled appearance; lower flanks mesially streaked with dark brown ; under wing-coverts yellowish white, as also the edge of the wing ; quills dark brown below, whitish along the edge of the inner web. Total length 5*7 inches, culmen 0*55, wing 3*9, tail 2*45, tarsus 0*55. The specimen from which the above description is taken was received by Mr. Henry Whitely, of Woolwich, in a large collection sent direct from Malacca along with the usua\ Malaccan birds. It cannot be the Himalayan species, I. xanthonotus, because the latter has the back and rump yellow ; and it differs from the Bornean Honey-Guide (I. archipelagicus) in wanting the yellow shoulder-spot, grey breast, and flanks of the last-named bird, and in being altogether larger. This latter fact seems to prevent the possibility of its being considered a young bird of /. archipelagicus. I propose the following amended key for the genus Indicator:- |