HYLOTERPE PHILIPPINENSIS, paren,

Philippine-Islands Thickhead.

Hyloterpe philippinensis, Wald. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 4, vol. x. p. 252 (1872).—Id. Trans. Zool. Soe. ix.
pp. 179, 250, pl. 31. fig. 2 (1875).—Sharpe, Trans. Linn. Soe. ser. 2, Zoology, i. p. 351.—Tweedd.
Proc. Zool. Soc. 1878, p. 109.—Wardlaw Ramsay, Ornith. Works of Marquis of Tweeddale, pp. 234,
344, 568, 656 (1881),

 

Caprain Warpiaw Ramsay has been so good as to lend me several birds from the celebrated collection
formed by his late uncle the Marquis of Tweeddale; and I have great pleasure in introducing to the notice
of my readers the very interesting species here figured. It is principally interesting as being an intrusion
of a thoroughly Australian form within the limits of the Indo-Malayan region ; for although I follow Lord
Tweeddale in keeping the genus Hyloterpe distinct from the Australian Pachycephala, 1 must confess that I
have very grave doubts as to the probability of this separation being upheld. In the genus fHyloterpe,
however, the sexes are alike in plumage, whereas in the bulk of the members of the genus Pachycephala
the males far exceed the females in brilliancy of plumage; in fact, both sexes of Hyloterpe are very like
the females of some of the Pachycephala.

I cannot do better than quote Lord Tweeddale’s remarks on the species in his paper on the Birds of
the Philippine Archipelago, to which the bird appears to be confined. It was first discovered by Die A
B. Meyer in the island of Luzon, and more recently in Dinagat by Mr. Alfred Everett.

‘Dr. Meyer’s researches in the Philippines have added an additional member of a genus hitherto not
known to be there represented. The small group of Pachycephaline birds to which the title of Hyloterpe is
restricted is now known to contain six species. They are entitled to subgeneric distinction. The sexes
are, I believe, alike; and they possess the further peculiarity that they wear, in adult plumage, a sombre
garb recalling the adolescent and the female plumage of the true black-and-yellow Pachycephale. This
Philippine species is a representative form of Z. sulphurwentris, Walden, ex Celebes. Above, it differs by
its plumage being olive-green, and not brown, and underneath by the yellow extending higher and being
much brighter. The bill is likewise more powerful. Seen from above, H. Philippinensis is difficult to
distinguish from HZ. fulvotincta, Wallace, ex F lores; while, in the same way, H. sulphuriventris closely
resembles HZ. griseiceps ex N. Guinea. Seen from below, however, the affinities are reversed, the Flores
Hyloterpe showing a great resemblance to that of Timor, ZH. orpheus (Jard.), and the Celebean and
Philippine species but differing slightly.”

The following is a copy of Lord Tweeddale’s original description of the male bird sent by Dr. Meyer :—
‘Feathers of the chin, cheeks, throat, and upper breast silky white, edged more or less with cinereous,
a dingy sordid aspect being thus given to those parts; an indistinct obscure zone crossing the breast and
bordering the upper breast-plumage, consisting of feathers which are dark ashy at their base, then pure
white, tipped with dirty yellow; the remainder of the under plumage, with the flanks and under tail-coverts,
sulphur-yellow, each feather, however, being iron-grey at the base and then white; entire head dark smoke-
brown, lighter on the ear-coverts; remainder of upper plumage olive-green, rather darker on the outer
edges of the quills and on the rectrices ; under carpals and axillaries pale lemon-white ; tail slightly forked ;
bill horn-brown. Bill from nostrils 0°32 inch, wing 3°25, tail 3-12, tarsus 0°75.”

Mr. Alfred Everett, as before noticed, procured both sexes of this Hyloterpe on Dinagat, and states that
the iris is dark brown, the bill black, and the legs bluish grey.

My figures are drawn from a pair of skins from Dinagat, for the loan of which I have to thank Captain
Wardlaw Ramsay. The sexes are represented as of the size of life.

[R. B. 8.]