MACRUROPSAR MAGNUS.

Long-tailed Glossy Starling.

Lamprotornis magnus, Rosenb. in litt.—Schleg. Ned. Tijdschr. Dierk. iv. p. 18 (1871).—Wald. Trans. Zool. Soc. ix.
p- 205 (1873).—Rosenb. Reist. naar Geelvinkb. pp. 37, 47, 140 (1875).—Id. Malay Archip. pp. 558,
591 (1879).

Aplonis magna, Gieb. Thes. Orn. ii. p. 428 (1875).

Lamprotornis major, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Ciy. Gen. xii. p. 345 (1878).

Macruropsar magnus, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. xii. p. 345 (1878); xvi. p. 195, no. 8 (1880).—Id. Orn.
Papuasia, &c. ii. p. 458 (1881).

 

Tus peculiar Glossy Starling is to all intents and purposes a Cadornis with an exceptionally long tail. The
last-named genus is very strongly represented in the Papuan region; and one species at least, the Calornis
inornata of Salvadori, lives in the same island as the Macruropsar. The latter bird inhabits the islands of
Mafoor and Misori, in the Bay of Geelvink, in both of which it was met with by Baron Rosenberg, the
original discoverer of the species. Dr. Beccari also obtained it on both islands; but Dr. Meyer appears to
have procured it only in Misori.

Count Salvadori states that the examples from Mafoor, collected by Beccari, had the tail shorter than
specimens from Misori; and he considers it not improbable that the birds may be found to constitute two
races when a larger series of specimens can be compared.

The adult male is described by Count Salvadori as follows :—

‘Entirely dull green with a metallic gloss, the head slightly purplish; wings and tail duller; tail very
long and graduated, with obscure barrings under certain lights ; bill and feet black.”

The female is similar to the male. The young bird is dusky blackish above , white below streaked with
black.

The single figure in the Plate represents an adult bird, of about the size of life.

I am indebted to the kindness of Professor Steere, who, on his return journey through London after his
travels to the East, lent me the bird from which the life-sized figure in the Plate has been drawn.

[R. B. 8.]

TUDE

 

 

 

 

 

 

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