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DRYMACEDUS BECCARII, Salvad.
Beccari’s Scrub-Robin.
Drymacedus beccarii, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov, v ii.p . 965 (1875).—Id . Proc. Zool. Soc. 1878, p. 97.—Sharpe,
Proc. lin n . Soc. xiv. p. 633 (1879).—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov, xvi. p. 188 (1880).—Id . Orn.
etc. Papuasia, ii. p. 416 (1881).—Id . R ep o rt Yoy. H.M.S. ‘ Challenger,’ ii. p. 80 (1881).— Sharpe, Cat.
Birds Brit. Mus. vii. p. 345 (1883).
T h e present species affords us another instance o f the close relationship between the avifauna of
Australia and that o f the Papuan subregion; for the genus Drymacedus is essentially an Australian form,
being found in all parts o f 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 o f 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 o f 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 o f the primaries, which have also a bar of whitish across
the middle o f the outer web; the secondaries washed with rufous towards the ends o f 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 o f black below the eye at the base o f the ear-coverts; adjoining these black spots the eyelid is also
black ; a slight ashy shade along the sides o f the crown ; ear-coverts ashy brown, streaked with white near
their bases; cheeks and throat white; remainder o f under surface whity brown or whitish washed with
brown, the sides o f 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 o f 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, o f the natural size. The figures
have been drawn from a specimen procured by Mr. A. Goldie, and now in the Leiden Museum.
[R. B. S.]