LYCOCORAX OBIENSIS, Bernse
Obi Paradise-Crow.

Lycocorax obiensis, Bernst. Journ. fiir Orn. 1864, p. 410.—Id. Nederl. ‘Tijdschr. Dierk. ii. p. 350 (1865).—Schl. op.
cit. il. p. 192 (1866).—Id. Mus. Pays-Bas, Coraces, p- 132 (1867).—Gray, Hand-list of Birds, ii. Deelee
no. 6263 (1870)—Sharpe, Cat. Birds in Brit. Mus. iii. p. 185 (1877).—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov.
Xvi. p. 199 (1880).—Id. Orn. Papuasia e delle Molucche, ii. p. 495 (1881).—Guillemard, Proc. Zool.
Soc. 1885, p. 573.

 

Tus species appears to be confined to the Obi group of islands in the Moluccas, where it replaces
Lycocoraxy pyrrhopterus of Batchian and Gilolo, and ZL. morotensis of Morotai or Morty Island. It is
distinguished from both by the greenish wash on the upper parts, and it has the quills blacker than in
L. pyrrhopterus. Count Salvadori and ourselves both regarded the white on the base of the quills as a
distinctive character of Z. morotensis, but Dr, Guillemard, who has recently visited the Obi Islands and
obtained five specimens of the present species, states that all his series, excepting one bird, had a white mark
on the primaries. The exception was in the case of a female bird, which was duller in colour than the
males and had the primaries buff.

Dr. Bernstein, the discoverer of the species, procured it in Obi Major and Obi Lattoo, but he states that,
like LZ. morotensis, it is a difficult bird to procure, as it frequents the thick forest. Its note is described
by Dr. Bernstein as ‘ whunk.”

The following description of an adult bird is copied from the British Museum ‘ Catalogue of Birds,’
and is taken from a specimen in that institution :—

“General colour above and below of a dull rifle-green, somewhat glistening ; tail black, the feathers
slightly washed with green on the outer web; quills blackish brown, the least wing-coverts edged with dull
green like the scapulars, the rest of the coverts and secondaries slightly washed with green on a Ce
web, the primaries much paler brown ; bill and feet black. Total length 13°5 inches, culmen 1-95, wing 7°75,
tail 6°75, tarsus 1:9.”

Dr. Guillemard says that the iris is crimson,

The figure in the Plate represents an adult bird of about the size of life, and is drawn from a specimen

kindly lent to us by Dr. Guillemard.

but that in the female bird referred to above it was brown.

(R. B.S.