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Show 1879.] THE SAMOAN ISLANDS. 129 This bird, for which I have been unable to find a name, belongs to the small section of this genus the members of which have white tips to the lateral tail-feathers. It certainly comes nearest the Fijian P. vitiensis, with the British-Museum specimens of which I have compared it. P. heinii is another allied species, but is still smaller than P.vitiensis, besides differing in other respects (cf. Sharpe, Cat. B. iii. p. 293 et seq.). Dr. Finsch and Mr. Sharpe, both of whom are conversant with the members of this genus, on examining this skin pronounced it to belong to an undescribed species. No Pinarolestes has hitherto been recorded from the Samoan Islands. The type of this species, which I propose to dedicate to its discoverer, bas been deposited in the British Museum. Mr. Powell's letter gives the following account of this species: - " Vernac. name, ' Sagaolevas ' (Sa-nga-o-le-vas). A small agile bird. Length 7" from the point of the beak to the tip of the tail, wings rather longer than the body. Tail long, spreading. Feathers of the head, back, wings, and tail brownish black ; the three outer tail-feathers on each side tipped with white ; throat, breast, and belly brownish slate ; sides brownish. Head large ; feathers of the head erect. Appearance fierce; voice harsh. Beak long, strong; and slightly notched at the tip, furnished with bristles at the base ; nostrils near the base, round, slauting backwards; gape wide. Tongue cartilaginous at the tip. Tarsi about 1" long. Toes, inner and outer nearly of a length, shorter than the middle, the hinder one of which is rather longer and stronger than the front one. Grasp strong. " Habits. This bird flies round and round persons coming into its vicinity, keeping up a continual harsh cry, which the natives call scolding; it nevertheless keeps well out of arm's length, and dodges well. A native fired twenty times, and failed to get a specimen." 2. HALCYON SACRA. Halcyon sacra (Grm.); Sharpe, Mon. Alced. p. 223, pi. 85. Hab. Tutuila, Samoan Islands (T. Powell). The specimen sent agrees accurately with the central figure in Mr. Sharpe's plate, which was drawn from a specimen said to have come from Tongataboo. Mr. Sharpe unites the birds from the Fiji, Friendlv, and Samoan islands; and I follow him in so doing; but should the Samoan bird prove distinct, the name it should bear is Halcyonpealii, Finsch & Hartl. Orn. Centralpolyn. p. 38, it being the Dacelo coronata, Peale (nee Muller). 3. ANOUS CCERULEUS. Sterna ccerulea, Bennett, Narr. Whaling Voy. ii. p. 248. Anous cceruleus, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 272. Hab. Tutuila, Samoan Islands (T. Powell). The full synonymy of this species is given in Mr. Sharpe's Notes on Birds from the Ellice Islands (I. c). Mr. Powell gives the total length as 10 inches, and the expanse of the wings as 20 inches. The native name in Samoa is " Laia." He says the bird is abundant in some parts of Tutuila. PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1879, No. IX. 9 |