ARTAMUS INSIGNIS, Sevater.
New-Ireland Wood-Swallow.

Artamus insignis, Sclater, P.Z.S. 1877, p. 101, pl. xv.

 

I ruoroveuty indorse the term insignis (or “remarkable”), which has been applied to this species by
Dr. Sclater; for, in my opinion, it is the handsomest of all the Wood-Swallows, The number of Artami has
not been greatly increased since I published my ‘Birds of Australia;’ but at that time, certainly, the two
finest species, A. maximus and A. insignis, were not known. I have therefore great pleasure in presenting
my readers with figures of these beautiful birds.

Of the subject of the present article we have very little to record. It is one of the discoveries of
Mr. George Brown, who procured it in New Ireland in March 1876; and the two specimens obtained are
in the collection of the Marquis of Tweeddale, along with the rest of Mr. Brown’s ornithological trophies.
Dr. Sclater, who described it, observes that it is closely allied to A. monachus of Celebes, but differs in having
the wings and tail black, as may be seen bya comparison of the Plates of these two birds given in this work.
In his account of the collections sent by Mr. Brown, Dr. Sclater has pointed out in certain of the species a
slight indication of Celebesian affinities, and he observes with regard to the Artamus:—‘‘ Here is a second
instance of a repetition on the further side of New Guinea of a Celebesian type, 4. monachus of Celebes
being certainly the nearest known ally of this fine new species. I have examined a specimen of 4. mela-
leucus (Forst.), of New Caledonia, in the British Museum, but find it quite distinct, having the upper back
black. 4. maximus, Meyer, of New Guinea, is of the same large size as the present bird, but has the whole
back black.”

General colour above pure white ; the head and neck all round, the wings, and tail black ; under surface
of the body, from the black throat downwards, pure white; under wing-coverts white, the small ones along
the edge of the wing black ; bill bluish. Total length 7-3 inches, culmen 1:0, wing 5°65, tail 2°6, tarsus 0:8.

The principal figures in the Plate are of the natural size, and are drawn from the type specimens in the

collection of the Marquis of Tweeddale.