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Show 190 MR. P. L. SCLATER ON BIRDS FROM TIMOR LAUT. [Apr. 17, " 2" The male not yet having been described, I give short diagnoses of both sexes. 8 . Late viridis, capite clariore, subcaudalibus flavicante tinctis subalaribus et hypochondriis coccineis; campterio atari et remigum primariorum marginibus externis et secundariorum (extus dorso concolorum) apicibus caruleis; alarum pagina inferiore nigra; cauda supra viridi dorso concolori, subtus nigra, apice plus quam semipollicari abrupte fiavo ; rectrice una utrinque extima in po-gonio exteriore caruleo notata; rostro superiore rubro, apiceflavicante ; inferiore nigro : long, tota 11*8, ala 8*7, cauda 4*6. 2 . Rubro-punicea, capite et corpore subtus coccineis; crisso fiavo campterio atari et remigum primariorum marginibus externis caruleis; cauda supra ad basin viridi in rubrum transeunte, ad apicem late flava, subtus flava ad basin nigricante; rostro nigro ; crassitie paulo minore. Hab. insulas Tenimberenses. Of the four skins in the present collection, two males (green) are from Larat, and one male and one female from Loetoe. As I remarked in my former paper, there can be no longer any doubt that Eclectus riedeli is quite a distinct species of the genus, characterized by the broad well-defined yellow tail-end of the male, and by the absence of the blue on the back of the neck and on the belly in the female. Neglecting E. westermanni and Eclectus Cornelia, of which we do not know the opposite sexes or the localities, we are now acquainted with both sexes and the patriae of four species of these anomalous Parrots, distributed as follows :- (1) E. pectoralis (Salvad. op. cit. p. 197), of N e w Guinea and the Aru and Ke islands, extending to New Britain, N e w Ireland, aud the Solomon Islands. (2) E. roratus (Salvad. p. 206), of the island-group of Halmahera, i. e. Halmahera, Ternate, Batchian, Morty, and Ohi. (3) E. cardinalis (Salvad. p. 210), of the island-group of Ceram, i. e. Ceram, Amboina, and Bouru. (4) E. riedeli, of the Tenimber group. The males of these four species are very similar in colouring ; but with the help of Dr. Salvadori's diagnosis of the first three we may separate them as follows:- A. Maj ores: cauda supra caeruleo variegata. Cauda minus ceeiulea (1) pectoralis. Cauda magis cterulea (2) roratus. B. Minores: cauda supra viridi, subtus nigra. Cauda apice angusto flavicante (3) cardinalis. Caudse fascia apicali distincte flava (4) riedeli. The female of E. riedeli, as already mentioned, is very easily distinguished from the same sex of the first three species by the absence of the blue neck-band and of the blue on the abdomen. As regards its yellow under tail-coverts and yellow tail-end, it comes nearest to E. roratus. |