List of Birds Collected in North-Western Aus- Tralia and Arnhem-Land by Mr
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l!*-! ( ) LIST OF BIRDS COLLECTED IN NORTH-WESTERN AUS- TRALIA AND ARNHEM-LAND BY MR. J. T. TUNNEY. BY ERNST HARTERT, Ph.D. birds tlie years 1901 to 19n3 Mr. J. T. Tunney collected luainmals !uid the northern DI'IUNUin the uortb-westerii parts of West Australia and Aridieiii Land, called " Northern of South l)ortiou of wliat is somewhat iucoiigruously Territory Australia." less ones of All these districts, esjiecially the latter, belong to the kuown Australia, aud therefore Mr. Tiinuey's collections increase our knowledge to some extent. He even discovered a few new forms, in addition to sncb exceedingly the rare birds as Ptiliiiopus ciiwta alligator and Pctrophassa nijipetinis Collett, beautiful Pitta iris, etc., etc. The Tring Museum is much indebted to Dr. Bernard AVoodward, the curator of the Perth Museum, Western Australia, who arranged the expedition, and to the zeal and industry of Mr. Tunney. During the work on these birds I came across several open questions which can only be answered by our ornithological friends in Australia, and we hope that they will soon do so. Many collectors are so fond of egg- collecting that they neglect the collecting of birds, even in countries which are quite insulticiently kuown. The many problems still unsolved with regard to species and subspecies show that this is a great mistake. 1 have employed trinomials for forms which agree with others in their main features and at the same time represent them geographically, but there are doubtless bear three to decide about all more birds which must eventually names ; finally cases in which trinomials may be used means a thorough study of all Australian birds and their allies. Mr. Campbell, in his admirable book cm the nests and eggs of Australian birds, has sometimes recognised such geograjihical representatives or advanced subspecies, but Australian ornithologists have not yet generally sufficiently to thoroughly study and distinguish the local forms (subspecies) of birds, and to use 1 the eminently i)ractical and short method of trinomial nomenclature. huj)e they than 1 will not only follow my lead, but employ trinomials even more frequently have done in this short and merely informal article. My greetings to our ornitho- I to in future ! logical brethren in Australia— to those I know and to those hope know in Museum at A comjilete set of the birds here enumerated is the Rothschild have lieen Tring, a second one in the Perth Museum, Western Australia, and some Loudon. presented to the British Museum (Natural History), South Kensington, 1. Dromaeus novaehollandiae (Lath.) (? subsp.). Gtgiiuriiia iionicliiilliiiiiliiir Latham, fiid. Oni. ii. p. 1)65 (1790). 2 (JcJ, 1 ?, -Strelly Hiver, N.W. Australia, 1, 4. i.\. VMl (Nos. U. '^30, 231, 232). 1 ?, .Shaw Hiver, N.W. Australia, 27. viii. 19U1 (No. R. 22'j). 1 pull. Mary River, Northern Territory, 14. i.\. 1902 (No. 929). ( 195 ) 2 imll. 4U miles west of Avergne Station, Northeni Territory, 25. vi. I9i)2 (Nos. K. 562, 553). Tlie material at preseut at my disposal docs not enable me to discuss the (juestion of the existence of one or more subspecies of Dromaeus iiooaehollandiaei but there is no reason why there should not be several. Some specimens are very reddish, but that is evidently not a subspecific character, but due to the reddish soil with which they are smeared. 2. Megapodius duperreyi tumulus Gould. (Cf. Nov. Zonl. 1901, p. 13(5.) 11 specimens. Alligator River, September 1903 (Nos. 1631 — 1H41). M. (I. (iimtdits differs from M. il. duperreyi by its darker and more rntons uj)perside and larger size. 3. Turnix maculosus (Temm.). macuhisus it Eem'qmdiua Temminck. Piijenns Gall, iii. pp. 631, 757 (1815 : Australia). cJ ad., c? pull., South Alligator River, October 1902, April 1903, on the river " flats, in the long grass. Iris white, legs yellow." (Nos. 810, 1177.) 4. Turnix castanotus (Gould). Heniipodius mdimntas Gould, P. Z. S. 1839. p. 145 (N.W. Australia) S ? South and 20 miles west of near the on , Alligator River, it, hills, quartzite " " ground. Not numerous." (Nos. 1178, 1179.) Iris and feet yellow." A specimen from Obogama in N.W. Australia, received from Mr. Robert Hall, is lighter on the back, rump and tail, with the feathers of the back with large black patches. 5. Turnix velox Gould. Hemipodiua oeloj; Gould, P. Z. .9. 1840. p. 150 (interior of N. S. Wales). " 1 cJ, 3 ? ?, Nullugine, N.W. Australia, April 1901. Iris and feet whitish." In flat country, especially on the river flats. (Nos. R. 126 toR. 129.) 6. Synoicus' australis (Temm.). Ciitiinii.i: uustralis el Temminck, PiijenKS Gull. iii. pp. 474, 740(1815 : Australia, Capt. Baudiu, Paris Museum). 7 c? ¥. Lewis Island, July 1901 (Ncs. R. 199 to 205). 2 Si, Brock's Ureek, Northern Territory, August 1902 (Nos. R. 535, 636). 16 c??, Alligator River, July to November 1903 (Nos. 801 to 808, 1171a, 1639, 1540, 1660 to 1653, 1716). 7. Ptilinopus cincta alligator Collett. Pliluj/us [Lcucotrcruii) alliijutor Collett, P. Z. .S. 1808. p. 354 (Alligator River). c? ad., in granite ranges ten miles east of South Alligator River, 86 miles from " the viii. coast, lo. 1903. C^olour of iris red, leg red." (No. 1536.) ? ad., shot in jungle near sandstone cliff at head of west branch of South Alligator River, 22. v. 1903 (No. 1178h). (Cf. Soc. Zool. 1904, p. 179.) ( 196 ) i^. Ptilinopus swainsoni ewingi (iould. Ptilino/)US ewiniji Gould, /'. Z. S. 1842. p. 19 (Poit Essington). In. x. l'.Mi3 IGiiS— 4 (?<J, 4 ? ?, (South) Alligator Kiver,5,6, 7,'.», (Nos. 1620). " Caught iti jungle at Kajiaregoo. Iris orauge, legs green, hill greenish." ".I. Myristicivora spilorrhoa (Gray). Is. Holland—Port Oirpopluiga sjulnrrhua G. R. Gray, P. Z. .S. 1868. pp 18ii, lOCi (Aru ami New Essington). 1 ?, Mary River, Northern Territory, VI. i.\-. I'Jii^ (No. Til). .\. xi. 30. ix. 7 cJd', 5 ¥ ¥, South Alligator River, o, T. 10i)2, 9, 21. l'J02, 21, 22, " 1903 (Nos. 1604 to 1607). Iris brown (black), feet bluish in some, greenish yellow in other specimens." lo. Geopelia humeralis (Temm.). Culuiuba humcndis Temmiuck, Tiam. Linn. S'k: Lnnilnu, .'iiii. p. 128 (1821 ; Broad Sound, Australia). 2 (?(J, 2 ? ?, Lewis Islands, N.W. Australia, 1. vii. 1901 (Nos. R. 178 to R. 181). 1 cJ, Urd River, East Kimberley, W. Australia, 17. vi. 1902 (No. R. 545). 1 ?, Brock's Creek, 5. viii. 1902 (No. R. 544). 2 SS, 1 ¥, (South) Alligator River, 2, 7. ix. 1903, 13. xi. 1902 (Nos. 1620, 1627, 1717). "Iris yellow, legs pink, bill bluish." 11. Geopelia placida (Jould. Geupilh plnciflu Gould, P. Z. S. 1844. p. 65 (Port Essington). Ge„peVm tranquilUi Gould, P. Z. N. 1844. p. 5G (N. S. AVales). 1 S, Derby, 7. iii. 1002 (No. 1625). 25. iv. 1902 R. 2 cJc?, Margaret River, Derby, W. Australia, 20, (Nos. 502, R. 505). 2 SS, Eureka, Northern Territory, 2, 23. ii. 1903 (Nos. 1082, 1083). 27. lo. 15. ix. 1903 1 (?, 2 ??, 1 juv., (South) Alligator River, iii., 9, iv., (Nos. 1301, 1172, 1172b, 1173c.). " Iris white, legs pink. Numerous, found in all parts." 12. Geopelia cuneata (Lath.). " : Habitat in Nova HoUandia Columba cuneata Latham, hid. Orn. Supi>l. p. bti. no. 8 (1802 "). iii. 1621 to 1 (?, 2 ? ?, Derby, 7. 1902 (Nos. 1624). 22. v. 1902 R. 1 c?, 1 sex ?, Ord River, East Kimberley, (Nos. 503, 5U4). " dull bine Iris red (pink), feet flesh-colour (white), bill (black)." 13. Chalcophaps chrysochlora chrysochlora (\Vagl.). 711 ; referable to the Cuhunba cliri/svihliini Waglur. .S.y»7. .Ic. Columba spec. (1827 description solely ! — Australian form. Synonyms and some of the localities—Ceylon, Java, Sumatra, China erroneous). (Cf. Nov. Zool. l'J04, p. 18:i.) 9. x. 2 Jc?, 1 ?, South Alligator River, 7, 1903 (Nos. 1628, 1629, 1630). '• Iris brown, feet pink." ( 197 ) 14. Phaps chalcoptera (Lath.). Ciilumha Iml. Om. ii. 604 chalcoptera Latham, p. (17yO : Norfolk Island.—? errore). 1 S, Miirgaret Rivei, Derby, W.A., 2n. iv. 1902 (No. R. 501). 1 (J, twelve miles from Victoria Station, Northern Territory, 4. vii. 1902 (No. R. 538). 1 Cnllen Northern t?, River, Territory, 24. vii. 1902 (No. R. 539). I Brock's Northern ¥, Creek, Territory, 18. viii. 19o2 (No. R. 537). " Iris brown, legs jiink, liill lilack." 15. Petrophassa rufipennis Collett. Z. Pelrophassa rufipmnh Collett, P. S. 18!)1. p. 354, pi, xxviii. (Arnhem Land, N, Australia). II 12 ? South <?(?, ?, Alligator River (mostly ten miles east of), .Inly, Angnst 1903 1515 to (Nos. 1533, 1174D, 1175e, 1176f, 1177g). "Iris and legs brown (legs black). In and near granite ranges, abont 85 miles from the coast." 10. Geophaps smithii (.lard. & Selby). " Columba smilhii Jardine &i Selhy, Jll.Ont.Jll. Ont. ii. pi. civ. (about 1836: "NewN( Holland," cf. text to pi. ciii.). S ?, Cockatoo Springs, East Kiraberley, W. Australia, 2o. vi. l9o2(Nos. R. 541, 543). 1 <S, t'liUen River, Northern Territory, 24. vii. 1902 (No. R. 542). 2 (?cJ, 1 ¥, Sonth Alligator River, and 25 miles east of S. A. R., 0. .\i. 1902, 20. viii. 1903 (No. 716, 1534, 1535). " Iris white (silvery grey). Legs dull pink. Bill black."' 17. Lopbophaps plumifera (Gonld). Gfiiphaps plumifera Gould, P. Z. S. 184'2. p. 1!> (N.W. coast of Australia). (L'iphophaps 2>liiinifera Gould, iicr Salvador! !) 2 cJJ, 1 ?, Hall's Creek Road (Uerliy), 17, 21. iv. 1902 (Nos. R. .507 to R. 509). 2 ¥ ?, Margaret River, Derby, 25. iv. loo:^ (Nos. R. 51i), 511). 2 ¥ ¥, Fitzroy River, N.W. Australin., 2oo miles np the river fi'oin Derby, 9. iv. 1902 (Nos. R. 506, 512). 1 cJ, AVyndham District, October 1898 (No.