Six specimens, two adult males in full breeding plumage, three adult females and one immature male, from Cavilli and Bancoran Islands, Sulu Sea, March and September.
I follow Rothschild in restricting Gmelin's name _minor_ to the bird of the eastern Indian Ocean, north Australia etc. (= _F. minor listeri_ Mathews), and with little doubt refer to this form the Philippine Frigate.
The color of the bill in the three females is _bright pink_, not far from between France-pink and geranium-pink of Ridgway. The soft parts were described by Governor Forbes on the labels as--"Eyelid bright red: bill light pink, nail white, tip black; feet pale pink." The males all have dark bills, their soft parts were noted on the labels as--"Bill blue-black; feet dull brownish, with a slight reddish tinge."
An adult female of _F. minor palmerstoni_ (Gmelin), shot by Flood, 29 September, 1895 at Molokai, H. I. (115,028 M. C. Z.) has a decidedly pinkish bill, the color of which was noted on the label as "light purple."
Gmelin mentions the red bill in his short diagnosis of _minor_ and Edwards's plate to which he refers shows a female Frigate with a red bill.
I have dwelt at the above length upon the red bill of the female of both _minor_ and _palmerstoni_ because it is a character that I have seen but little mentioned, and because I feel morally certain that the American bird--_Fregata magnificans_ Mathews according to Rothschild, _F. minor rothschildi_ Mathews according to Mathews--does not show it.
We have a very large series of Frigate birds from America, and among the females none show any trace of reddish or pinkish on the bills, nor do I find the bill of the female described as pink on any label, or for that matter in any text-book.
This being the case, it is a matter of much interest to know what forms have a pink bill in the female, and what do not.
FREGATA ARIEL ARIEL Gray.
Three specimens, from Tawi Tawi Island, two adult males and one adult female all taken 21 August, 1921.
Compared with _Fregata ariel iredalei_ Mathews of the western Indian Ocean these are large birds with heavy bills, and appear wholly referable to true _ariel_ of Australia etc.
MEASUREMENTS.
CULMEN NO. SEX WING TO FEATHERS
86,492 [Male] ad. 501 87 86,493 [Male] ad. 491 89 86,491 [Female] ad. 552 92
BUTEO JAPONICUS (Temminck & Schlegel).
One immature example (sex not determined) was shot by Mrs. Robb White at Sagada, Bontoc, northern Luzon in July 1913 and given to Governor Forbes. This, I believe, is the first record for the species in the Philippines. The specimen, M. C. Z. 64,621, affords a wing length of 366 mm.
XANTHOLAEMA HAEMACEPHALA HAEMACEPHALA (Muller).
Two adult males, Mindoro, July. (Also two old skins in M. C. Z.
labeled "Manilla").
Stuart Baker, (Ibis 1919, p. 219), has already pointed out the strong characters that distinguish the Philippine form of this little Barbet.
I include it in these notes merely to emphasize the fact that it must be kept distinct from birds from India, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, etc. Its long bill, dark colors, and heavily striped under parts at once distinguish it.
XANTHOLAEMA ROSEA INTERMEDIA Shelly.
Four adults, both sexes, Negros, July.
This is another strongly marked representative form, peculiar to the Philippines. It differs from _X. rosea rosea_ (Dumont) of Java etc. in its very much larger bill (averaging 22 mm. as against 16 mm. in true _rosea_), slightly larger size, darker colors, and much more heavily striped under parts.
LALAGE NIGER MITIFICA, subsp. nov.
Twelve specimens, both sexes, Lubang near Luzon, Mindanao, Palawan, Camiguin, Camotes, Basilan, Panay, Mindoro, and Cagayan de Sulu, June, July, and August.
TYPE.--M. C. Z. 64,329 adult [Male], Lubang, near Luzon, 6 July, 1913.
W. Cameron Forbes.
CHARACTERS.--Similar to _L. niger niger_ (Forster), (type-locality "in India Orientali" which I will farther restrict to Singapore, being as likely as anywhere else to have been whence the type actually came), but larger; in color the adult [Male] differing in the sheen of the head and back being darker and more purplish, less greenish; the rump slightly darker gray and the tibia grayer, less whitish. The adult [Female] decidedly grayer less brownish above--deep neutral gray (the upper parts in _L. nigra nigra_ are hair-brown to Chaetura drab).
REMARKS.--Birds from Java are small and appear to be quite like those from Singapore and the southern Malay peninsula. The Borneo bird is a little larger and the one female before me is gray above as in the Philippine form.
MEASUREMENTS.
_Lalage niger mitifica_ Bangs.
CULMEN NO. SEX LOCALITY WING TAIL TARSUS FROM BASE
86,669 [Male] Panay 93 69 20 18 86,668 [Male] Basilan 94 70 20.5 17.5 86,671 [Male] Camotes 93 70 21 18 86,667 [Male] Camiguin 95 73 20 19 57,520 [Male] Cagayan de Sulu 92 69 20 19 64,329 [Male] Lubang 92 71 20.5 19 64,330 [Male] " 93 70 20 18.5 64,331 [Male] Palawan 95 69 20 17.5 64,328 [Female] Lubang 93 -- 21 18.5 64,327 [Female] Mindanao 92 72 21 19
_Lalage niger niger_ (Forster).
CULMEN NO. SEX LOCALITY WING TAIL TARSUS FROM BASE
33,994 [Male] Singapore 85 68 19 16 34,119 [Female] Kelang 82 63 19 17 60,164 [Male] Java 87.5 66 20 17 60,163 [Male] " 88 70 20 16 60,166 [Male] " 85 68 21 16 60,160 [Female] " 87.5 67 19 18 60,159 [Female] " 86 69 20 16 60,167 [Female] " 83 64 20 17 12,182 [Female] " 87 61 19 --
AEGITHINA TIPHIA AEQUANIMIS, subsp. nov.
Nine specimens, both sexes, from Palawan and Dumaran Islands, June, July, August, and September.
TYPE.--M. C. Z. 64,334 adult [Male], Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island, 4 August, 1913. W. Cameron Forbes.
CHARACTERS.--Similar to _A. tiphia tiphia_ (Linne) and _A. t. viridis_ (Bonaparte) of Borneo, but bill longer and heavier; the upper parts much more yellowish olive-green and the forehead, including the lores, broadly bright yellow.
MEASUREMENTS.
CULMEN NO. SEX LOCALITY WING TAIL TARSUS TO BASE
64,332 [Male] ad. Palawan 64 49 20.5 19 64,333 [Male] ad. " 62 44 21 18.5 64,334 [Male] ad. " 62 44 20 18 86,684 [Male] ad. Dumaran 62 46 21 18 86,685 [Male] ad. " 61 50 19 18.5 41,304 [Female] ad. Palawan 61 47 20 18 86,683 [Female] ad. " 62 48 19 17
REMARKS.--The Palawan and Dumaran bird represents a very good form, easily separated from _A. tiphia tiphia_ or _A. t. viridis_ by its larger bill and much brighter upper parts. The series shows no individual variation, and no tendency to ever become dusky or black above.
ORTHOTOMUS RUFICEPS NUNTIUS, subsp. nov.
Three specimens from the Sulu Archipelago; an adult [Male] Sibutu, 23 August, an adult [Male] Cagayan de Sulu, 2 July, and an immature [Female] Jolo, 2 August.
TYPE.--M. C. Z. 57,529 adult [Male], Cagayan de Sulu, 2 July, 1911. W.
Cameron Forbes.