Notes on Philippine Birds Collected by Governor W. Cameron Forbes

NOTES ON PHILIPPINE BIRDS COLLECTED BY GOVERNOR W. CAMERON FORBES

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Nine specimens, both sexes, from Palawan and Dumaran Islands, June, July, August, and September.

Type. – M. C. Z. 64,334 adult ♂, Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island, 4 August, 1913. W. Cameron Forbes.

Characters. – Similar to A. tiphia tiphia (Linné) 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.

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.

Three specimens from the Sulu Archipelago; an adult ♂ Sibutu, 23 August, an adult ♂ Cagayan de Sulu, 2 July, and an immature ♀ Jolo, 2 August.

Type. – M. C. Z. 57,529 adult ♂, Cagayan de Sulu, 2 July, 1911. W. Cameron Forbes.

Characters. – Similar to O. ruficeps ruficeps (Lesson), (specimens from Borneo), but slightly larger, with longer bill; upper parts clearer gray; crown slightly deeper brown.

Measurements.

Remarks. – There are, in the U. S. N. M., three skins from Sibutu similar in all respects to ours.

Birds from Palawan and Clulion Islands are somewhat smaller than those from Sulu, but agree in color more nearly with them, than they do with true ruficeps of Borneo.

Two adult males from Camiguin Island, 2 August, 1921.

Type. – M. C. Z. 86,369 adult ♂, Camiguin Island, 2 August, 1921. W. Cameron Forbes.

Characters. – Similar to Z. basilanica Steere, but larger; upper parts much brighter and yellower, – yellowish citrine rather more strongly yellowish on head and upper tail coverts; yellow of under parts brighter and clearer – bright yellow chrome.

Measurements.

Remarks. – This new form which is well marked and quite distinct, belongs in the group characterized by possessing a wide stripe of yellow along the median under parts and gray sides and flanks. In the Philippines this group is represented by:

1. Zosterops siquijorensis Bourns & Worcester. Negros, Siquijor.

2. Zosterops boholensis McGregor. Bohol.

3. Zosterops everettii Tweeddale. Cebu.

4. Zosterops forbesi Bangs. Camiguin.

5. Zosterops basilanica Steere. Basilan, Bongao, Dinagat, Leyte, Mindanao, Papahag, Samar, Jolo, Tawi Tawi.

I have given the new form, which is named in honour of Governor W. Cameron Forbes, specific rank because in an enormous genus, largely composed of island forms, like Zosterops, I do not know where to draw the line between species and subspecies and much prefer leaving the question to be decided by some future reviewer of the genus.

Zosterops meyleri McGregor also of Camiguin Island, is a small species with wholly yellow under parts, belonging in a different group of the genus.

Four adults, both sexes, Palawan, August.

Type. – M. C. Z. 64,180 adult ♂, Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island, 14 August, 1913. W. Cameron Forbes.

Characters. – Similar to O. xanthonotus xanthonotus Horsfield of Java, but larger with longer tail. Adult ♂ differing in color in much more heavily striped under parts and in the black of chest extending farther backward to include the upper breast; and much less sharply defined posteriorly against the white under parts; back more greenish yellow; yellow spot on outer tail feather large. The adult ♀ besides differing, as does the ♂, in heavier stripes below etc., has the whole pileum, occiput, upper neck, and sides of neck heavily streaked black and olive-green, and the throat and chest dull gray with whitish streaks. (A ♀ probably an older bird in the U. S. N. M. has the head neutral gray with an olive wash, very conspicuously streaked with black, the black streaks extending as in the others right to base of bill).

Measurements.

Remarks. – The Black-headed Oriole has been recorded from Palawan and Calamianes Islands only in the Philippines. The Palawan representative form is strongly marked and easily to be distinguished from O. x. xanthonotus of Java.

The bird of Borneo may represent still another form, distinguished from true xanthonotus by slightly smaller size, the under parts less purely white, that is, much more suffused with yellowish or yellowish ochraceous, sometimes even with grayish and with the yellow tail-spots larger. This form probably should be known as Oriolus xanthonotus consobrinus Wardlaw-Ramsay (P. Z. S., 1879, p. 709, N. E. Borneo). Everett, however, (Birds of Borneo 1889, p. 119), in mentioning the type states that "It is dissimilar from all known immature individuals of O. xanthonotus and belongs rather to the O. steerii group." If this is true and there is in north Borneo a form of the Philippine group of Orioles, with the sexes alike in plumage and with the throat and chest plain gray, then the form of the Black-headed Oriole of Borneo, if recognized, should be named.

In old females from Java the pileum and cheeks are dark mouse-gray, blackish on the forehead, the black streaks narrow, almost obsolete and noticeable on the crown and occiput only. Females from the mainland and Borneo and Sumatra also, when adult, have faint blackish streaks on the crown. In immature plumage the head is wholly unstreaked, which I doubt to be the case in the Palawan form.