(U -pa.
• \fiiilfr'n-afiis. ijrip.
^LURCEDUS STONII, Sharpe.
Stone's Cat-bird.
mnrrndusstonn, Shaq«, Nature, xw. 1876, p. SSg. -Salvad. Ann. Mus. Gen. ix. p. 193 (187C) . -Sharpe, Journ. Linn,
hoc. xm. p. 495 (1877).-Ramsay, P,-oe. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. iii. p. 268 (1879) ; iv. p. 97.-Salvad On.
della Papuasia, ii. p. 678 (1881)._Goulcl , B. New Guinea, i. pi. 37 C1881).-Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit Mus
™l. VI. p. 387 (1881) . - Id. Joum. Linn. Soc. xvi. p. 445 (1883).-Finscli u. Meyer, Zeitschr. ges. Orn. ii
p. 391 (1886) . - I id. Ibis, 188S, p. 258. -D' [ I amonv. Bull. Soc. Zool. France, x-i. p. 511 (188(!)-Salvad
Agg. Orn. Papuasia, ii. p. 167 (1890).—De Vis, Rep. Brit. New Guinea, 1890, p 116
Ailurcdus stonii, Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. iii. p. 268 (1879).—Id. op. cit. iy. p. 97 (1880)
PtUonorhjnchis stonii. Van Musschenbr. Dagboek, pp. 212, 241 (1883).-Rosenb. Mitth. orn. Ver Wien 1885,
p. 54.
THE present specics is one of tlie sranllc,st of the Cat-blrd.s, and seems to be entirely confined to the southeastern
Jiortion of New Guinea, where It replaces /Ekraidm iuccoitks of North-n-estern New Guinea It is
a smaller hird tl.an the latter, and further differs iu having the crown of the head blackish hroivn ius'tcad of
olive-bron n, and in having the spots on the throat and under surface of the body very much smaller.
I t was first met with In South-eastern New Guinea by Mr. Octavius Stone, who found It on the Laloki
Kivcr, and its home, so far as is known at present, appears to be the interior of the Port Moresby district
Mr. Gold.e found the species about fifteen miles inland, iuhahitiiig the dense scrub and feeding on fruits and
hemes. He afterwards procured it In the Soger! district, where it was called by the natives " Yarlta...ra "
Mr. Forbes likewise met with it in Sogeri. The late Karl Hunsteln procured tlie species on the Hwscshoe
Range, and Sir William Macgregor also obtained specimens on Mount Belford, in the Astrolabe Ranire
at 4000 feet. ^ '
Mr. Goldie forwarded two eggs supposed to he those of /Ekrcedus stonii from Sogerl, hut as they were
wh.te, and entirely dilTerent from those of the ordinary Cat-birds, it is reasonable to suppose that the
identification was not correct.
The following is the description of the type specimen given by me in the ' Catalogue of Birds ' :—
Adull. General colour above bright green, some of the feathers tinged with blue; wings grcCT like the
l)ack, the iimer webs dusky brown, the primaries externally washed with yellow, the secondaries tljipcd with
the latter colour; tall green, blackish on the inner webs of the outermost rectrices, which are tipped with
white; head dark brown, slightly washed with olive; hind neck yellowish buff, mottled with black centres
to the feathers, those adjoining the mantle .spotted with gree.i ; sides of face and throat pure white, with a
few tmy spots of black on the ear-coverts, ami with larger spots on the sides of the neck ; rest of under
surfece of body ochraceous buff, the fore neck and chest minutely spotted with green, the flanks also with
a few tiny spot.s of the latter colour; under wlng-coverts yellowish buff, the edge of the wing washed
with green. Total length 9' 3 Inches, culmen M5 , wing 5 05, tall 3-5, tarsus l-o5.
The Plate represents an adult bird of the natural size.