Notes on Philippine Birds Collected by Governor W. Cameron Forbes

Notes on Philippine Birds Collected by Governor W. Cameron Forbes
Outram Bangs

Notes on Philippine Birds Collected by Governor W. Cameron Forbes / Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy at Harvard College, Vol. LXV. No. 4

NOTES ON PHILIPPINE BIRDS COLLECTED BY GOVERNOR W. CAMERON FORBES

No. 4. —Notes on Philippine Birds collected byGovernor W. Cameron Forbes

By Outram Bangs

In the last decade former Governor-General W. Cameron Forbes has presented to the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy three large collections of Philippine birds. One of these was made in 1911, another in 1913, and the third and finest collection in 1921 while, with General Leonard Wood and Colonel Gordon Johnston, Mr. Forbes was on an official tour of inspection of the islands.

On the excursions which resulted in the gathering together of these collections Mr. Forbes was sometimes accompanied by General Leonard Wood, the Honourable Dean C. Worcester, and Dr. Richard C. McGregor, and he had also the expert assistance of Mr. A. Celestino.

During the spring and summer of 1921 Governor Forbes and party visited most of the islands of the group. Bird collecting was carried on with enthusiasm by all the members of the party on every possible occasion, but stops at the different islands were at best limited to a few days and official business had, of course, precedence. The collections therefore while large, interesting, and fairly representative are by no means exhaustive.

The following notes, which include descriptions of five new forms, are based on the three collections.

I am under great obligations to Dr. Chas. W. Richmond and Mr. J. H. Riley of the United States National Museum for making some comparisons in Washington and for giving me data from other specimens in the collections under their care.

Irediparra gallinacea gallinacea (Temminck)

Twelve specimens, both sexes, mostly fully adult, Lake Liguasan, Mindanao, March and August.

The Comb-crested Jacana has been found in the Philippine Islands, apparently only in Mindanao. Specimens from that island I am unable in any way to distinguish from one skin in the M. C. Z. from Celebes, the type-locality of the species. Mr. J. H. Riley writes me that he has lately compared three specimens from Celebes with one from Mindanao with the result that he could find no differences. It is safe therefore to refer the Philippine bird to the typical form.

Plegadis falcinellus peregrinus Bonaparte

Three specimens, two males and a female, from Mindanao, March and August.

These belong, as of course was to be expected, to the decidedly small form of Australia, Java, Celebes, etc., the range of which must be extended to include the Philippines as well.

Measurements.

Sula dactylatra personata Gould

Five adults, both sexes, Tubbataba Reef, Sulu Sea, August, 1913.

The Blue-faced Booby, which breeds in the Tubbataba Reef in the Sulu Sea is indistinguishable, so far as I can see, from the Australian form.

The color of the bill and feet was not noted on the labels of Gov. Forbes's birds; in the dry specimens the bill is pale yellow and the feet are dull greenish black.

Measurements.

Fregata minor minor (Gmelin)

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.

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 (Müller)

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 ♂, 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 ♂ 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 ♀ 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.

Lalage niger niger (Forster).