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Show 1885.] ON BIRDS COLLECTED BY THE YACHT ' MARCHESA.' 247 Professor Bell exhibited examples of two species of Phytophagous Coleoptera (Aspidomorpha sanctce-crucis and A. milaris) from Bombay, to illustrate the difference in coloration of living and dead examples. The following papers were read :- 1. Report on the Collections of Birds made during the Voyage of the Yacht Marchesa.-I. A Provisional List of the Birds inhabiting the Sulu Archipelago. By F. H. H. GUILLEMARD, M.A., M.D., F.L.S., &c. [Received February 13, 1885.] (Plates XVII. & XVIII.) The Sulu Archipelago, a group of islands lying between the Philippines and the extreme north-east point of Borneo, has been, until quite lately, almost a terra incognita to naturalists. The difficulties of navigation, owing to the numerous reefs and shoals, the dangerous currents, and lastly, but by no means least, the possibilities of a rencontre with pirates, rendered a visit to the islands a somewhat hazardous experiment in former times. Lately, however, the facilities for exploring them have much increased. One of the results of the formation of the new North Borneo Company has beeu the opening of steam communication between their territory and Sulu Island. Recent surveys have lessened the dangers of navigation, and, though pirates still exist, even in these latter days of civilization, they confine their operations chiefly to small and unarmed praus. Ornithologically speaking, the island of Basilan has always been regarded as one of the Philippines. Lord Tweeddale incorporated it as such in his " List of Birds known to inhabit the Philippine Archipelago " (Tr. Z. S. vol. ix. part 2 ) ; while Mr. Sharpe, in a paper on the Birds of the Sulu Islands, followed his example by omitting all notice of M r . Everett's collection formed at Isabela de Basilan. But in many geographical publications it forms part of the Sulu Archipelago, and the fine of separation between the latter and the Philippine Islands is drawn to the south-west of Mindanao. Such a line, however, has neither a political nor zoological raison oVUre. The Sultan of Sulu has no authority in Basilan, and though the Spaniards had doubtless other than scientific reasons for including Sulu in their charts as belonging to the Archipielago Filipino, I hope to show in this paper that they are so far borne out, in that the Ornis of the group appears to be almost purely Philippine. Mr. Sharpe, in the paper already alluded to (P. Z. S. 1879, part 2), gave a list of all the Sulu birds known at that date, chiefly from a small collection made by Mr. Burbidge on the island that has given its name to the Archipelago. To this I have been able to 17* |