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_Descriptions of Three New Birds from the Belgian Congo._
BY JAMES P. CHAPIN.
BULLETIN OF THE
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY,
VOL. XXXIV, ART. XVI, pp. 509-513
_New York, October 20, 1915._
=Article XVI.=--DESCRIPTIONS OF THREE NEW BIRDS FROM THE BELGIAN
CONGO.
BY JAMES P. CHAPIN.
The whole of the large collection of birds secured by the Congo
Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History during the years
1909 to 1915, under the leadership of Mr. Herbert Lang, has now arrived
safely at the Museum. It is composed of material gathered all across the
Belgian Congo, from Boma on the west to Aba in the northeastern corner,
but the greater part from the more remote territory between Stanley
Falls and the Enclave of Lado, including the dense equatorial forests of
the Ituri, Nepoko, and Bomokandi, and the high-grass and bush country of
the Uele District to the north and northeast.
Of the relatively small number of zooelogical expeditions that have
passed through and collected in these regions, none has ever before
been able to make such a prolonged stay, and the varied zooelogical
results of this Expedition are surely of the highest scientific
interest. The ornithological collection contains in the neighborhood
of six thousand skins, and represents some 600 different species, a
number of them of course new to science. These it is our purpose to
describe as promptly as possible in this Bulletin, before taking up
the greater work of a general report on all the forms collected, with
more extended notes on their distribution, habits, food, and nests.
Descriptions of the first three new forms follow:
=Chaetura melanopygia= sp. nov.
Related to _C. stictilaema_, but much larger, with feathers of
upper breast more heavily margined with blackish, and without any
trace of a light rump-band.
Description of type, collector's No. 4986 Congo Exp. A. M. N. H.,
[Male] ad. Avakubi, Ituri District, Belgian Congo, Aug. 15, 1913.
Upper parts brownish-black (chaetura-black, Ridgw.) becoming black
on wings and tail, with faint violet and green reflections (green
on freshly molted feathers). Ear coverts drab, bordered with
fuscous-black; feathers of throat pale smoke-gray, margined with
fuscous, those of upper breast similar, but heavily bordered with
fuscous-black, consequently with a very pronounced "scaly"
appearance; lower breast growing darker, so that the dark borders
are less conspicuous, and the feathering of the belly completely
fuscous-black with slight oily gloss. Under wing coverts
mouse-gray with darker edges, flanks and under tail-coverts black
with slight greenish gloss. Tail slightly rounded.
Iris dark brown, bill black, feet bluish, shading to dusky brown
on tips of toes and claws. Sexual organs enlarged.
Length (skin) 145 mm.; wing 164; tail 49.5; bill (exposed
culmen), 7.5; metatarsus 13.
Only one specimen secured, out of two or three of these swifts that were
flying about over the Ituri River, in company with several examples of
_Chaetura cassini_. In spite of our long stay in this region, the species
was not again positively recognized; but _Chaetura cassini_, _C.
stictilaema_ and _C. sabinei_ were all of common occurrence there.
=Apaloderma minus= sp. nov.
Resembling _Apaloderma narina_, but decidedly smaller, of different
coloration, and with bill less swollen. The serration of the maxilla
is less pronounced.
The adult male of _A. minus_ is distinguished by the bluer hue of the
forehead, throat, and upper breast, which show in certain lights deep
violet reflections, and by the more scarlet, less crimson color of the
remaining underparts. In life the naked areas on the cheeks are bright
yellow, whereas in _A. narina_ they are light green.
The adult female differs in the more tawny or ochraceous coloration of
the breast, which is grayish in this sex of _A. narina_, although
sometimes washed with light brown on the upper breast. A greenish
gloss on the upper breast is more common in females of _A. narina_.
In juvenal plumage both species are entirely buff below, the feathers
more or less tipped with dusky.
Type: collector's No. 4983. Congo Exp. A. M. N. H. [Male] ad.
Avakubi Ituri District, Belgian Congo, August 13, 1913.
_Description of Adult Male_ (type).--Throat, upper breast, lores
and forehead glossy wall-green, in certain lights with violet
reflections; upper tail-coverts much the same, but nape and back
brilliant peacock-green. Lower breast, sides, belly, and under
tail-coverts bright scarlet-red; feathering of legs dusky, with
faint green gloss and slightly bordered with whitish. Primaries
fuscous-black, the outer ones margined with white and the inner
ones white at the base. Alula and primary-coverts blackish;
lesser wing-coverts blackish, broadly margined with green; middle
coverts with less green and vermiculated with white. Greater
coverts and secondaries blackish vermiculated with white, the
former narrowly edged with green, the secondaries only very
faintly. Three middle pairs of rectrices blackish, slightly
glossed with violet-blue and margined with green; outer three
pairs white, with bases black faintly glossed with blue, this
blackish color extending out furthest on inner webs, and finally
breaking up into small dusky spots.
Iris red-brown; distal portion of bill light greenish gray, base
of bill and two naked patches beneath eye light cadmium-yellow,
naked skin above eye lemon-yellow; bare skin of foreneck (covered
in life by plumage) light blue; feet pale pink.
Length (skin) 254 mm.; length of bill (culmen from base) 18 mm.;
height of bill at nostril 9.5 mm.; greatest width of maxilla, near
gape, 16 mm.; wing (measured with dividers) 113 mm.; tail 146 mm.
In some of the other male specimens the green borders on the
secondaries are lacking, and the exact intensity of the white
vermiculation is of course variable. The measurements of a series
of 11 adult males are: bill, 17-18.5 mm.; wing, 108-115.5; tail,
136.5-151. This is smaller than any _Apaloderma_ heretofore
described.
_Adult Female._ Crown, back, and rump brilliant peacock-green,
upper tail-coverts viridian. Lores, forehead, and ear-coverts
more brownish; throat and upper breast snuff-brown, sometimes
with glossy green at sides of neck or a few narrow green borders
on the chest. Lower breast cinnamon, sometimes finely barred with
dusky; belly somewhat lighter and rosier than that of male;
feathering of legs dusky. Tail similar to that of male; but the
vermiculation on the wing-coverts and secondaries is very much
finer, and light ochraceous-buff, not white.
Iris red-brown; naked cheek-patches lemon-yellow, base of bill
slightly deeper yellow; culmen dusky, bill light green below;
feet flesh-color, claws gray.
Measurements of three adult females: bill (culmen from base),
17-17.5 mm.; wing 104.5-113 mm.; tail, 140-149 mm.
An _immature male_ has the green of the upper breast broken by
irregular bars of cinnamon. The lower breast is cinnamon mixed
with rose, and barred at the sides with green, and shades to
light scarlet-red on belly and under tail-coverts. The greater
wing-coverts and three inner secondaries bear each a large spot
of light ochraceous buff, extending across the whole width of the
innermost secondary, and most of the secondaries are vermiculated
or speckled on their outer webs with buff. Just behind the eye
there is a small spot of white, and the lower edge of the
ear-coverts is marked by a buff line.
Iris dark brown; maxilla dusky, but its base greenish-yellow like
the naked cheek-patches, mandible light yellowish-green, with
light-gray tip; feet pinkish. Bill, 18.5 mm.; wing, 108; tail, 139.
A _nestling_ ([Male]), with tail only 25 mm. long, is of a
yellower green above (calliste green); lores, forehead and entire
underparts cinnamon-buff, the downy feathers slightly tipped with
dusky except on abdomen. The wing-coverts and inner secondaries
bear large spots of buff. Iris brownish-gray; bill very light
bluish-gray, its base and corners of mouth greenish-yellow; feet
pale flesh-color, claws gray.
The spots on the inner secondaries, in the first plumage, appear
to be much larger in the case of _A. minus_ than with _A.
narina_, for an immature female specimen of the latter shows only
rounded spots on the outer webs not exceeding 5.5 mm. in diameter,
while the additional buffy speckling is practically absent.
This trogon was found by us in the Ituri forest, from the Nepoko River
south to Avakubi and westward to Banalia, but its range is certainly
wider than this. It is a species perfectly distinct from _Apaloderma
narina_, but both occur in the same forests, though the latter was
also to be heard at times in areas of tall second-growth, whereas _A.
minus_ seemed never to leave the primitive uncut forest, and was
extremely shy and difficult to observe. These two trogons may easily
be recognized by their voices, the common note of _A. narina_ being a
double, dove-like "cu-coo," which is repeated slowly for several
seconds, starting faintly but increasing in strength, and accompanied
by a slight wagging of the tail. That of _A. minus_ is a series of
longer, more mournful sounds that might be represented by the word
"kwaw." These calls are given by the males.
As compared with the measurements given in Prof. Reichenow's "Voegel
Afrikas" and the British Museum Catalogue, our specimens of
_Apaloderma narina_ from the Ituri District seem rather small, and may
belong to the race _aequatoriale_ of Dr. Sharpe.
A series of 12 adult males measures: bill (culmen from base) 18.5-21
mm.; wing 117.5-128; tail 146.5-166. The green borders of the
secondaries are never very well marked, and sometimes virtually absent.
Seven females from the same region measure: Bill, 18.5-21; Wing
117.5-129; Tail, 149-169.
One male collected in the Uele District, in a small forest tract
between Faradje and Aba, is strikingly larger; wing, 134; tail 194.
This example is probably referable to _A. n. narina_.
=Ceriocleptes= gen. nov. (Indicatoridae).
Resembling _Indicator_ in its bill and general form, save for the
tail, which is composed of 12 quills, the two middle pairs of
nearly equal length, somewhat pointed and curved strongly
outwards, the next pair considerably shorter, but also pointed
and slightly curved; while the fourth, fifth and sixth are
straight, greatly narrowed, and stiffened, becoming successively
shorter, so that the outermost pair is not half so long as the
median. The tail-coverts are unusually long, those below as long
as the longest rectrices, and projecting in the fork of the tail.
=Ceriocleptes xenurus= sp. nov.
Description of type, collector's No. 5628, Congo Exp. A. M. N. H.
[Male] ad., Avakubi, Ituri District, Belgian Congo. Apr. 17,
1914.
Feathers of forehead, crown, back, and rump blackish-brown,
bordered or washed with yellowish-citrine, those of nape and
upper back whitish at the base. Sides of head lighter, shading
gradually to olive-buff on throat, breast, and sides; middle of
abdomen still lighter, ivory-yellow. Upper wing-coverts and
secondaries fuscous-black (freshly molted feathers blacker)
narrowly edged with olive-ocher. Primaries similar, but yellowish
border almost entirely lacking; both primaries and secondaries
fading to pale olive-buff on their inner edges. Under
wing-coverts colored like the breast, but with faint dusky
shaft-streaks. Feathering of flanks ivory-yellow, with strong
blackish median lines. Two middle pairs of rectrices dull
blackish, 3rd pair whitish, with a small blackish spot on the
outer edge close to the tip, and a larger concealed black spot on
the inner web towards the base; the 3 remaining pairs of
rectrices white. The long median pair of under tail-coverts
blackish, the next pair similar, but margined with whitish, the
remainder ivory-yellow with faint shaft-streaks of dark brown.
Upper tail-coverts fuscous-black, bordered with amber-yellow.[1]
The bill, nostril, and feet resemble those of _Indicator
indicator_, but the bill is somewhat stouter, while the wings and
tail are shorter. The 9th (outer) primary is intermediate in
length between the 6th and 5th; the 7th and 8th are longest.
Iris bright brown, naked edges of eyelids grayish-brown; bill
dusky-brown; feet dull grayish-green.
Length (skin), 160 mm.; wing, 93.5; tail 56; bill (culmen from
base), 13.5; metatarsus, 14.
This unique specimen was shot by the describer from a tall tree in the
forest, where it was accompanied by one other of its kind. The sexual
organs were somewhat enlarged; the stomach filled with beeswax, mixed
with small pieces of insects. Apparently this species is not in the
habit of leading men to beehives.
[Illustration: Fig. 1. Tail of _Ceriocleptes xenurus_, from below.
Nat. size.]
PUBLICATIONS OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.
The publications of the American Museum of Natural History consist of
the 'Bulletin,' in octavo, of which one volume, consisting of 400 to
800 pages and 25 to 60 plates, with numerous text figures, is
published annually; the 'Memoirs,' in quarto, published in parts at
irregular intervals; and 'Anthropological Papers,' uniform in size and
style with the 'Bulletin.' Also an 'Ethnographical Album,' and the
'American Museum Journal.'
MEMOIRS.
Each Part of the Memoirs' forms a separate and complete monograph,
usually with numerous plates.
VOL. 1. ZOOeLOGY AND PALAEONTOLOGY.
PART I.--Republication of Descriptions of Lower Carboniferous
Crinoidea from the Hall Collection now in the American Museum of
Natural History, with Illustrations of the Original Type Specimens
not heretofore Figured. By R. Z. Whitfield. Pp. 1-37, pll. i-iii,
and 14 text figures. September 15, 1893. Price, $2.00.
PART II.--Republication of Descriptions of Fossils from the Hall
Collection in the American Museum of Natural History, from the
report of Progress for 1861 of the Geological Survey of
Wisconsin, by James Hall, with Illustrations from the Original
Type Specimens not heretofore Figured. By R. P. Whitfield. Pp.
39-74, pll. iv-xii. August 10, 1895. Price, $2.00.
PART III.--The Extinct Rhinoceroses. By Henry Fairfield Osborn.
Part I. Pp. 75-164, pll. xii_a_-xx, and 49 text figures. April
22, 1898. Price, $4.20.