Descriptions of eight new Philippine birds, with notes on other species new to the Islands

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

DESCRIPTIONS OF EIGHT NEW PHILIPPINE BIRDS, WITH NOTES ON OTHER SPECIES NEW

TO THE ISLANDS.

BY EDGAR

^A.

MEARNS.

(Majorand_Surgeon, U.S. Army.)

It is

my

^{intention to} prepare, at

an

early date, a

more ex tended paper on

the collection of

1,000

^or

more specimens

of birds collected in the military

department

^of

Mindanao,

Philip

pine

Islands,

by myself and other members

of the

Philippine

Scientific Association,

during

^the years

1903 and

1904.

At

present ^I

am

obliged to restrict

myself

^to describing eight

new

species

and adding

^{records of}

other

species

new

tothese islands.

In

identifying the

specimens thus

^far collected,

comprising 216

species, I

have

received

very

great assistance

from Dr. Charles

W. Richmond

of the

Smithsonian

Institution,

and have

also

been helped by Mr. Harry

C. Oberholser,

Mr. William Palmer, Mr.

J.

H.

_Riley,

and Dr. Leonhard

_Stejneger,to

each

of

whom

I express

my

^sincere

thanks.

Turnix

suluensis _sp.nov.

SULU BUSTARD-QUAIL ^orHEMIPODE.

Type No. _191,433, U. S. National

Museum.

Adult female from_Jolo, island of_{Sulu, P. I.,}

November

25, 1903. Collected

by Edgar

^A.

Mearns

(originalnumber,13,141).

13-Pnoc. BIOL. Soc. WASH., VOL. XVIII,^1905. (83)

84 Mearns

Descriptions ofEight

New

Philippine Birds.

Of

the five speciesof Tarnix

known

fromthe Philippine Islands^this

one

ismostclosely related to Turnixwkiteheadi,ofLuzon, from which ^it

may

bedistinguished

by

^itslargersize,

and

the general

brown

coloration of the upperparts,

which

are blackishin T.whiteheadi, as wellas

by

^{the absence} of a welldefinedcervicalcollar.

Adultfemale (type

and

_{only specimen).} General colorof upperparts walnut brown,the feathers_finely

banded and

vermiculated withgray

and

black; top of

head

clovebrown,the feathers almost imperceptibly edged with gray, divided

by

^a

median

_stripeofisabella colorextending from^the base of thebilltothe occiput; sidesof

head and

neck_buffywhite_speckled with clove

brown

; nape walnut brown, the feathers edged with gray^; mantle walnut brown,the feathersedged withgray,

and

vermiculated with black, gray,

and

traces of very pale

cinnamon

; lower _back, rump,

and

uppertail-covertsclovebrown,^{the feathers} narrowly edged with gray on the back

and

_upper

rump, more

broadly with

cinnamon

onthelower

rump and

^upper tail-coverts; tail grayish drab, the feathers perceptibly cross-banded with

wavy

^{lines of} dusky, edged ^with

cinnamon

onouter webs,with middle pair of feathersextending seven millimeters

beyond

the next _pair; scapulars

and

numerals conspicuously edged externally with golden ^buff

and cinnamon

; primaries grayish drab, the

two

outer ones edgedexternallywith

wood brown

; secondariesdarkerdrab,edged with

cinnamon

onthe outer

web

; greaterwing-covertscinnamon, drab^at base, with a subterminal_{black spot}onthe outer

web;

^lesser wing-coverts cinnamon-rufous,edged withbuff,with asubterminalblack_ocellus; chin, upperthroat,

and

malar _region,whitish, the ^last speckled with blackish

brown

; lower neck

and

_upper breast clay^color, bordered

by

^{achain of} ovalblack_spots,the_largestthree millimetersin length; lowerbreast

and

middleof belly whitish; sidesoflower_neck,

and

sidesof chest

and

breast, chestnut

mixed

withblack

and

_claycolor; flanks _light claycolor; under tail-coverts darker _claycolor; lining of wings pale clay ^color

and

pale grayish drab.

Length

^ofskin,120; wing, 68^{; tail,31;} culmen,^11.5; depth ofbillatangle of gonys,3.8; tarsus, ^19.5.

Muscadivora*

_{langhornei sp.}noy.

LANGHORNE'S

FRUIT-PIGEON.

Type No.191,877,U.S.National

Museum,

^from

West

Bolod Island (off Basilan), ^P.I., February21, 1904. Adult male. Collected

by Edgar

^A.

Mearns. _(Originalnumber,13,358.)

This_largeFruit-Pigeon^isclosely related toMuscadivorapickeringi(Cassin) from

Mangsee

Island,north ofBorneo,

on

thewestsideoftheSulu_Sea,of

which

thetype (No.15,732) ^isinthe U. S.National

Museum. The

sizeis practicallythe

same;

^{but the}color differs asfollows: Generalcoloration paler.

The

vinous gray^{of the}head

and

_underpartsisdarker, thegray ^of

*Dr.Richmond's MS.card catalogueofavian generashowsCarpophaga Selby(1835) tobe preoccupiedbyCarpophagaBillberg (1828)fora genus of Cuckoos. Pchlegel, in

"1864" (1872?), proposed Muscadivora^asasubstitutename forCarpophaga. Thetype, therefore,remains Columbasenea Linnaeus.

Descriptions ofEight Philippine Birds.

lower hind neck extends farther

down

onthe mantle, thewhite around the base of thebill

and

surrounding^theeye ^is

more

extensive, the back

and rump

are paler

and

less brownish_{gray, the}wings ^are paler,grayer

and

lessgreenish,

and

theundertail-covertslessreddish.

Colors ofsoftparts. ^Irispurplish red; region of the^nostrilsdark

plumb

eous_; bill light plumbeous;

naked

_{eyelid deep vinaceous; bare space} around eye plumbeous; ^{feetvinaceous,fleshcolor} on underside oftoes;

clawsplumbeous.

Measurements _ofthreeadultmalesfrom ^West Bolod Island (topotypes).

Length,456, 456,460; alarexpanse,770, 760,770; wing,242, 242,243;tail, 180, 180,178; culmen,19,21,19; tarsus, 30, 31,32; middle toe

and

_claw,

48, 49, 45.

Geographic range. East Bolod

and West

Bolod _islands, off Basilan Island, ^P.I.

Caprimulgus

^affinis

mindanensis

subsp. nov.

MINDANAO

NIGHTJAR.

Type No. 190,596,U.S.National

Museum.

Adult male from Malabang, southern Mindanao,^P.I.,October_18,1903. Collected

by Edgar

^A.Mearns.

(Original number,13,071.)

The

Nightjar ofJava (Caprimulgus affinis Horsfield) ^is a wide-ranging island _{species, subject to} considerable variation in the different islands which^itinhabits.

The

_present form

and

C.griseatusG. K.

Gray

^{are the} most _divergent from the _typical form,

and

their status as species,or as subspecies,^will

depend upon

the point ofviewofdifferentauthors_respect ing divergent island forms. ^I

am

_disposed toregard

them

as racesof a

common

_species.

Adultmale.-. SimilartoCaprimulgusaffinis affinis,butdiffering as follows^: General coloration darker. Upperparts ^hair brown, finely vermiculated

and

dotted with clovebrown,lightgray,

and

black; scapulars

marked

with broken_{spots of}

cinnamon

;-firstfour primaries

banded

across theirmiddle withpure whiteexcept the outer

web

ofthe^firstprimary, ^this

band

_vary ingfrom 12 to24 millimetersinwidth

on

thedifferent feathers,wideston the fourth; outer tail-featherwhite only

on

the terminal _half,the basal half beingcinnamon, clouded

and

irregularlycross-bandedwith brownish black,

and

the_tips of both

webs

cloudedwith brownish black_; second feather _similar,butwith

much

less of the

dusky

cloudingat tip; lower

abdomen and

thigh-coverts cross-bandedwith _{pale sepia}

brown

; under tail-coverts

and

anal regionbuff,withoutcross-bands; upper^thirdoftarsus feathered. Total length of skin, 205; wing, 163; tail, 100; culmen, 8;

tarsus,^19.

Individualsvarygreatlyⁱⁿthe character

and

sizeof the punctate

and

vermiculate markings^{of the}upper^surface.

The

_vagueblack cross-bands of themiddle_pairoftail-feathersare

somewhat

_{V-shaped (openapically),}

numbering

^abbuteight.

Intrueaffinis,adultmales havethe outertail-featherallwhite,

and

the lower

abdomen,

thigh-coverts,

and

undertail-coverts"uniformpale fulvous

86 Mearns

Descriptions ofEight

New

Philippine Birds.

buff." In_{C. affinixgriseatus}thebars are spread over the

whole

ofthelower

abdomen,

thighs,

and

lower tail-coverts,

and

the color is

more

_grayish rufescent thanin _{C. affinis}mindanensi*,

which

_appears tobeclosest tothe formof_{C. affinis}inhabiting the Celebes.

Phyllergates heterolaemus ^{sp. nov.}

MOUNT APO TAILORBIRD-WARBLER.

Type. No._192,258, U.S.National

Museum,

^from

Mount

_{Apo, at 6,700}

feet altitude,

Mindanao,

^P.I.,

June

21, 1904. Sex not deter nined. Col lected

by Edgar

^A.Mearns. (Originalnumber,13,550.)

Descriptionof adult(type}.

Whole

_top

and

sidesofhead cinnamon-rufous;

chin,throat,

and

sidesofneck

cinnamon

; upperpartsolive-green,yellower

on

uppertail-coverts; upperwing-coverts

and

wing-quillsbrownish black, edged witholive-green

on

outerwebs; tail-feathersdrab,edged^witholive- green; breast

and

_{bellycanaryyellow}; thighs

and

crissum olive-yellow;

axillars

and

underwing-coverts yellow; ^quillsedged with white on^inner webs. Iris

brown

; billwith maxilla brown, mandibleyellow tipped with red; ^feetpaleyellowishbrown. Length,^{121; alar}expanse,150; wing, 50;

tail,47_; culmen,^14; tarsus,21_; middletoewith_claw,13.5.

This bird

was

shot in bushes,

and was

theonly one^ofitskindseen.

Cephalophoneus

^{suluensis sp. nov.}

SULU

LONG-TAILED SHRIKE.

Type No. 191,895,U.S.National

Museum.

Adult_male, fromBual,Sulu Island,^P.I.,February21, 1904. Collected

by Edgar

^A.Mearns. (Original number, 13,355.)

Insi/e

and

colorpattern ^this species closely resemblesLaniusnasutus Scopoli, from

which

it

may

^be distinguished

by

the pale ^color of the scapulars,back,

and

_rump,aswell as

by

the pinkish vinaceous^colorof the

abdomen.

Adult male(two specimens).

Whole

_top

and

sidesof neck,

and

hind jieck,black; mantle gray(No. 10,Ridgway),fading ^topalecream-buff on back; scapulars palecreambuff,broadly bordered with white;

rump and

uppertail-covertspinkish buff; primaries black, with an exposed spot of white formed

by

white bandscrossing the external

webs

of third tosev enthprimaries opposite the

end

ofthe bastard wing; secondariesblack, tipped

and

edged externallywith white_; tail black,with outer feathers grayat base,tipped with _grayishwhite; chin, throat, breast, thighs, axil lars,

and

lining ofwings pure white; ^sides buff;

abdomen

pinkish vina ceous; under tail-coverts buffy white.

Length

(of skin),240; wing, 95;

tail,135; culmen,¹⁷; depth^ofbillatangle of gonys,^8.7; tarsus, 28.

Hyloterpe

^{apoensis sp.nov.}

MOUNT APO

THICK-HEAD. Pbe'a-oi'-toi(Bagobo).

Type No. 192,247,U.S.National

Museum,

^from

Mount Apo

at 6,000 feet altitude,Mindanao,^P.I.,

June

20,1904. Adultmale. Collected

by Edgar

A.Mearns. (Originalnumber,13,538.)

Descriptions ofEight Philippine Birds.

This Thick-head is most _closely related to J/i/loleipe phUifpineii*t*

Waldcn, from which ^it

may

be distinguished

by

^its greater ^size (wingS5 in nfwensinagainst 79ⁱⁿ pJiil.'ppinnixix),shorterbill(from nostril 9.5against 10.5),

much

deeper yellow underparts (lemon yellow instead of canary yellow),restrictionofthe pale drab-gray ^to the chin

and

_{upper throat,} yellowish instead of whitish wing-lining,

and

brighter olive-green of the mantle.

Adultmale

and

_ferna'e(eightspecimens). Sexes alike,except thatmales are_{slightlylarger} than females,and, perhaps, havethe top of the heada

littlegrayer.

Top

^ofhead brownishgray, tinged ^witliolive-yellowonthe occiput; sidesof head _(except ear-coverts), lores, eye-ring,

and

feathers bordering the maxilla

smoky

drab; ear-coverts broccoli

brown;

^mantle olive-green;

rump and

upper tail-coverts yellowish olive-green; flanks olive-green,thefeatherstipped with yellow; wing-quills brownish _black, mostof the feathers edged with olive-green on outer

web

; tail-feathers

dusky

olive-green^; chin

and

_upper throat pale ashy, with darkershaft- streaks tothefeathers_; restof underparts

lemon

yellow with a perceptible

wash

of olive-green onchest

and

sides_; edgeof wing,axillars,

and

_lining of wingspale yellow. ^Iris

brown

; billblack; feet

and

claws plumbeous inmales,fleshygray^infemales.

Measurements_{of adults.} Fouradultmales: Length(fresh), 170,179, 170, 170;^alarexpanse,280, 289, 267,262;wing,85, 92, 84,85; ^tail,75, 78, 72,72;

bill,measured fromanteriormargin^ofnostril, 9.5,9,10, 9.5; culmen,13.5, 13.3, 13.3,14.5; tarsus,19, 19,20, 19; middle toewith itsclaw, 16, Hi,17, 16. Fouradult females: length,170, 171, 170, 166_; alarexpanse,2(59,266, 263, 265; wing,85, 84, 84,83_; tail,72,70, 70,69; bill,measured from an teriormargin^of nostril, 10, 9, 9.5,9.5; culmen,13.5, 14.3, 14.5, 15; tarsus,

19,20,18,20; middletoewithclaw, 18.5,17, 15, 17.

Firxtplumage (No. 192,249,U. S.National

Museum,

^from

Mount Apo

^at

6,000 feet altitude,

June

25, 1904). Differentfromadult.

Top

^ofheadsepia

brown

_; back,rump,scapulars,

and

_upperwing-covertsburnt

umber washed

with green; uppertail-covertsolive-green^; quillsduskygrayishbrown,^the primariesedgedexternally witholive-green,the secondaries

washed

with burnt

umber;

^tailolive-green^; undertail-covertsbrownish yellow; flanks olive-green,thefeatherstipped witholi.ve-yellow^; chin

and

_upper throat whitish; lower throat, breast, belly,

and

sides cinnamon-fawn; lining of wingsyellow.

The

note ofthis

young

bird,

when

_callingits parent, was likethat of anewly-hatched^chicken.

davao

_sp. nov.

BLACK

-CHESTED

FLOWER-PECKER.

Type No._192,054,U.8.National

Museum,

^from Cottabato, on the Rio

Grande

ofsouthern Mindanao, ^P. L,

March

3,1904. Adult male. Col lected

by Edgar

^{A.Mearns. (Original number,13,399.)}

Adult male (two specimens). Entire upperparts glossy ^metallic black with green

and

bluereflections; wing-quills

and

tail-feathersblue-glossed;

sidesof head, neck,

and

chest, dullblack; chin

and

throat yellowishwhite;

88 Mearns

Descriptions^ofEight

New

Philippine Birds.

chest crossed

by

^anarrowblack

band

thatextends

backward

inthe

median

line tothe

abdomen

; belly

and

under tail-covertspale brownish _yellow;

sidesolive-green shading^toblack anteriorly^{; axillars}

and

_{lining of wings} white; inner

web

of_quills edged with white^atbase; edge^of wing ^black finely dotted with white. Total length of skin,75; wing, 45; tail,25_; culmen,^9.5; tarsus,^10.5.

Lamprocorax

todayensis sp. nov.

MOUNT APO

GLOSSY STARLING. Kohl-lee'-po (Bagobos^ofTodaya).

Type No. 192,302,U.S. National

Museum,

from Todaya, on

Mount Apo

at 4,000 ^feet altitude, July 11, 1904. Adult female. Collected

by Edgar

A.Mearns. (Originalnumber,13,687.)

This small _species ofGlossy Starling

was abundant

inthe high ^forest above the

Bagobo

village ofTodaya,

where

smallflocksflew with great speed above ^the treetops, only alighting

on

the highest dry branches,

where

they were with difficulty reached

by

^shot. Ahn'-dee,

my Bagobo

hunter, shot several of

them

; butI laid

them

_{aside,supposing}

them

to be Lamprocoraxpanayensis,

and

_{they werefinally}

thrown away

spoiled.

Description of type (female). SimilartoL. panayensis,but

much

_smaller,

and

otherwise differing as follows:

The

feathers of thenape

and

lower throat are

more

_rigid and, perhaps, relatively longer.

Viewed

in certain lightsthe

plumage

^islessgoldengreen, theglossbeingpurplish blue; the wings

and

tail aredull purplish black, without metallic _gloss;

and

the throat^is

more

decidedly glossed with violet-purple. Length^ofskin, 157; wing, 95; tail,59; culmen,13.5; ^bill fromanterior borderof_nostril, 10_; depth^{ofbillatnostrils,6;} tarsus, ^19.

The following-named forms,

^{eleven of}

which have been

_previ

ously

^described,

have proved

^to

be new

to science:

Turnix

suluensis.

Muscadivora

langhornei^.

Caprimulgus

affinismindanensis.

Muscicapida montigena.

Gerygone

rhizophorse.

Leonardina

^* woodi.

Pseud

otharrhaleus griscipectus^.

Macronous mindanensis montanus.

Brachypteryx

mindanensis.

Merula

kelleri.

*Thegeneric name Leonardia proposed by

me

for thisgenus,on_page1ofthisvol ume, ispreoccupiedbyLeonardiaTAPPARONE-CANEFRI, Ann. Mus.Civ.Geneva, ^ser.2, Vol. VII,1890, p. 332, fora genus ofmarine_slugs,andisherechanged^toLeonardina.

Descriptions ofEight Philippine Birds.

89

Phyllergates heterolaemus^.

Cephalophoneus

^suluensis.

Hyloterpeapoensis.

Pardaliparus

elegans mindanensis.

Dicaeum

davao.

^Ethopyga

^boltoni.

Cyrtostomus dinagatensis.

Anthreptes cagayenensis.

Lamjyrocorax todayen^sis.

The following-named

species

should

be

added

tothe catalogue of

Philippine

birds,

by Worcester and Bourns, published

in

1898

^* :

Limonites minutus

_(Leisler).

LITTLESTINT.

Icollected

an

adult

male

_{(No. 191,416,} U. S. National

Museum)

^ofthis

stint at

Zamboanga,

Mindanao,^P. I.,

December

17,1903.

Hydralector

gallinaceus (Temminck).

COMB-CRESTED

JACANA. Pah-pan-ook' (Moros of the RioGrande_Valley).

This is an

abundant

_species of the Rio

Grande

_Valley of southern Mindanao. I collected a female specimen (No. 191,917,U. ^. National

Museum)

^{on the}

Buluan

_River,connecting lakes Buluan

and

_Liguasan, Mindanao,^P. I.,

May

27, 1904.

Plegadis falcinellus (Linnaeus).

GLOSSYIBIS.

Great

numbers

_{of glossy} ibises frequent the lakes

and

rivers of

Min

danao.

A

female_{(No. 192,079,}U. S.National

Museum)

wasshot

by Cap

tainWilliam D.Davis, 17th Infantry,U.S.

Army,

^{on an}estuarynearSeran- aya,Rio

Grande

Valley,Mindanao,^P.I.,

March

14,1904. Captain

Frank

R.

McCoy

^alsobrought

me

a specimen which^{Idid not}preserve. Thereisa

mounted

_specimeninthe Jesuit

Museum,

^atManila.

Herodias

timoriensis _(Cuvier).

AUSTRALIAN WHITE

EGRET.

Captain

Frank

R.

McCoy

^shot a specimen(No. 192,074,U.S.National

Museum)

at Varicella,

Upper

Agusan^River,Mindanao,^P.I.,

May

^9,1904;

*ContributionstoPhilippineOrnithology,^PartI.

A

ListoftheBirdsknowntoinhabit the Philippineand Palawan_Islands,showingtheir distribution within thelimitsofthe twogroups, Proc. ^{U, S.}Kat. Mus., Vol.XX,^No.1134; 1898,pp. 549 to625,with maps.

90 Mearns

DescriptionsofEight

New

Philippine Birds.

and

otherswereseen

on

the

Agusan and

^Rio

Grande

rivers. Inthe_speci

men

takentheiris

was

pale yellow, almost white; ^billyellow; legs

and

feet purplish ^black.

The

_following measurements were taken from the skin: Wing, 3">0

mm.;

^tail, 140; culmen, 98; middle toe

and

_claw, 97;

tarsus, 141; bare portion oftibia,94.

Loriculus galgulus (Linnaeus).

BLUE-CROWNED

LORIKEET.

I obtained a pair of these birds alive,

on

the island of

Cagayan

Sulu, P.I.,February26, 1904.

The

female escaped^at

Zamboanga, Mindanao

; but themale(No. 191,871,U.S.National

Museum) was

preserved.

Collocalia francica inexpectata

(Hume).

ANDAMAN

ISLANDS SWIFTLET.

I collected four specimens (\os. 191,886-9,11.8. National

Museum)

^of

this swiftleton the island of

Cagayan

Sulu, P. I.,February26, 1904. It

was

very

abundant

aboutthemountaincliffsoftheisland.

Hirundo

rustica rustica Linnseus.

COMMON SWALLOW.

Iobtained a _typical specimen (No. 190,261,U.S.National

Museum)

^at

Pantar,Mindanao,^P. I.,September 9, 1903.

My

^{series of}swallows from

Mindanao shows

interim*^lation between the subspecies ^rustica

and

gutturalis.