DRYMACEDUS BECCARII, Saivad.

Beccari’s Scrub-Robin.

Drymaedus beccarii, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov. vii. p. 965 (1875).—Id. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1878, p. 97.—Sharpe,
Proc. Linn. Soc. xiv. p. 633 (1879).—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov. xvi. p. 188 (1880).—Id. Orn.
etc. Papuasia, ii. p. 416 (1881).—Id. Report Voy. H.M.S. ‘Challenger,’ ii. p. 80 (1881).—Sharpe, Cat.
Birds Brit. Mus. vil. p. 345 (1883).

 

Tue present species affords us another instance of the close relationship between the avifauna of
Australia and that of the Papuan subregion; for the genus Drymacdus is essentially an Australian form,
being found in all parts of that continent, and its presence in New Guinea and the Aru Islands is very
interesting.

Discovered by Dr. Beccari in the Arfak Mountains in North-western New Guinea, its existence in the
Aru Islands was detected by the naturalists of the ‘ Challenger’ Expedition at Wanumbai. Since that
time we have seen numerous examples from South-eastern New Guinea collected by Mr. A. Goldie and
Mr. Broadbent, and the species appears to be by no means uncommon in the interior of that part of New
Guinea.

The following description is copied from the British Museum ‘ Catalogue ’ :—

«« Adult. General colour above chestnut-brown, the head more dusky, and of a deep chocolate-brown ; lesser
wing-coverts ashy brown, the remainder black, barred with white at the tip, the primary-coverts entirely
black ; quills blackish, with a white spot at the base of the primaries, which have also a bar of whitish across
the middle of the outer web; the secondaries washed with rufous towards the ends of the outer webs ;
centre tail-feathers chestnut-brown, the remainder blackish, externally chestnut-brown, and tipped with
white ; forehead blackish; lores and eyelid white, with a black spot above the eye, as well as another broad
patch of black below the eye at the base of the ear-coverts ; adjoining these black spots the eyelid is also
black ; a slight ashy shade along the sides of the crown; ear-coverts ashy brown, streaked with white near
their bases; cheeks and throat white ; remainder of under surface whity brown or whitish washed with
brown, the sides of the breast ashy brown, more rufescent on the flanks; under tail-coverts chestnut-brown ;
axillaries ashy, tipped with white; under wing-coverts blackish, tipped with white, forming broad bars ;
quills blackish below, with a patch of white near the base of the primaries and outer secondaries ; feet pale
in skin; bill black. Total length 7 inches, culmen 0:75, wing 3-2, tail 3°5, tarsus 1:7.”

The Plate represents an adult bird of the present species, in two positions, of the natural size. The figures
have been drawn from a specimen procured by Mr. A. Goldie, and now in the Leiden Museum.

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