PDF - Wallace Online

388 TROPICAL NATUREThe Andaman islands are equally remarkable, at least sixof the peculiarbirds differing from their continental allies inbeing much lighter, and sometimes with a large quantity ofpure white in the plumage, 1 exactly corresponding to whatoccurs among the butterflies.In the Philippinesthis is not so marked a feature ; yet wehave here the only known white-breasted kingcrow (Dicrurusmirabilis) the ; newly discovered Eurylsemus steerii,- whollywhite beneath ;three species of Diceum, all white beneath ;several species of Parus, largely white-spotted while ; many ofthe pigeons have light ashy tints. The birds generally, however,have rich dark colours, similar to those which prevailamong the butterflies.In Celebes we have a swallow-shrike and a peculiar smallcrow allied to the jackdaw, 2 whiter than any of their allies inthe surrounding islands, but otherwise the colours of the birdscall for no special remark.In Timor and Flores we have white-headed 3pigeons, anda long-tailed flycatcher almost entirely white. 4In Duke-of-York island, east of New Guinea, we find thatthe four new species figured in the Proceedings of the ZoologicalSociety for 1877 are all remarkable for the unusual quantityof white in their plumage. They consist of a flycatcher, adiceum, a wood-swallow, and a 5ground-pigeon, all equallingif- not surpassing their nearest allies in whiteness, althoughsome of these, from the Philippines, Moluccas, and Celebes,are sufficiently remarkable in this respect.In the small Lord Howe's island we have the recentlyextinct white rail (Notornis alba), remarkably contrasting withits allies in the larger islands of New Zealand.We cannot, however, lay any stress on isolated examplesof white colour, since these occur in most of the great continents;but where we find a series of species of distinctgenera all differing from their continental allies in a whitercoloration, as in the Andaman islands, Duke-of-York island,1Kittacincla albiventris, Geocichla albigularis, Sturnia andamanensis,Hyloterpe grisola var., lanthaenas palumboides, Osmotreron- chloroptera.Artamus monachus, Corvus advena.3 Ptilopus cinctus, P. albocinctus. 4 Tchitrea affinis, var.6 Monarcha vertically Diceum eximium, Artamus insignis, Phlogamasjobannse.