AZ LURQGEDUS GEISLERORUM, Meyer.

Geisler’s Cat-bird.

Ailuredus geislerorum, Meyer, Abhandl. k. zool. Mus. Dresden, 1890-91, no. 4, p. 12.—Id. J. £. O. 1892, p. 202.—

Id. Abhandl. k. zool. Mus, Dresden, 1892-93, no, 3, p. 23 (1893).—Madarasz, Aquila, i. p. 91
(1894).—Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, iv. p. xiv (1894).

 

 

Tus Cat-bird was described by Dr. A. B. Meyer from specimens obtained in Kaiser Wilhelm’s Land in
German New Guinea by the brothers Geisler, after whom the species has been named.
specimens were procured in Astrolabe Bay, at Lolebu
August, December, and January, and the spe

The original
and Bussum, to the north of Huon Gulf, in July,

cies was also obtained by the Geislers at a place called Butarieng,
which is one of the stations of the German New Guinea Company, and is situated near the mouth of the

Bubui River. Other localities in which the species was met with are—Finsch Harbour in March, Bukawasip
in Huon Gulf in April, Memming in June, and again at Butarieng in August and October. The brave
Hungarian traveller, Fenichel, who lost his hife in exploring this portion of New Guinea, also obtained
specimens of Geisler’s Cat-bird at Bonga in November. And this apparently is all that is
the range of Aluredus geislerorum.

The species is allied to luredus buccoides, but has a very differently coloured head, this being much
paler and more of a tawny-olive shade, while the Spots on the breast

Little has been recorded of its habits.
it is called by the natives ‘Kubuas.’
parts of the country visited by them,

known respecting

are much larger and more pronounced.
Fenichel says that its note reseinbles the sound ‘ Aach-aach,’ and
The Geislers state that the species is generally distributed in the
but could not be considered common. It is always found in pairs.
The male suddenly utters his note of warning, a long-drawn, hoarse-sounding ‘ tschaa,’
answering and repeating the call, In this way the

easy to kill, though it require

the female quickly
to the collector, and js
amongst the surrounding foliage.

a specimen collected by the late Mr.

bird is continually in evidence
Sa practised eye to detect the bird
The following is the description of Fenichel :—
» with the wings of the same colour as the b
bs ; bastard-wing,
inclining to olive towards the end of the primaries ;
white at the extreme tips ; crown of head t

General colour above grass-green ack, the inner secondaries
with a whitish tip to their outer we primary-coverts, and quills

blackish, externally green,
tail-feathers

blackish, externally green
awny olive or ochreous brown
coverts white ; chin and cheeks spotted with black, forming
of neck entirely black, forming al

; inclining to ashy
; lores and sides of face and ear-
a broad moustachial band :
arge patch behind the ear-coverts
hinder neck pale yellowish, washed with
under surface of body, from the lower throat downward, pale ochre
on the flanks, the breast and sides of the body
smaller on the lower part of the

throat white; sides
aad crossing the nape in a black band ;
green, and having large triangular spots of black; remainder of
ous yellow,
thickly marked with |
abdomen and disappearing entire
coverts white ; axillaries ochreous buff: bill pale yellowish white ;
culmen 1:05, wing 5:2, tail 3°65, tarsus 1°45.

Dre Meyer mentions that two spe

with a slight tinge of greenish
arge triangular spots of black, becoming
ly on the under tail-coverts ; under Wwing-

iris carmine. Total length 10:5 inches,

cimens collected by the brothers Geisle

rat Bukawasip had the iris brown.
an adult bird in two positions

The Plate represents ,» and is drawn from the specimen above described.

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