Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
These points are of so much interest and importance that it will be necessary to pass in re-
view all those species which are peculiar to the island, and to call attention to whatever is
most worthy of remark.
Six species of the Hawk tribe are peculiar to Celebes; three of these are very distinct from
allied birds which range over all India to Java and Borneo, and which thus seem to be sud-
denly changed on entering Celebes. Another (Accipiter trinotatus) is a beautiful hawk, with
elegant rows of large round white spots on the tail, rendering it very conspicuous and quite
different from any other known bird of the family. Three owls are also peculiar; and one, a
barn owl (Strix rosenbergii), is very much larger and stronger than its ally Strix javanica,
which ranges from India through all the islands as far as Lombock.
Of the ten Parrots found in Celebes, eight are peculiar. Among them are two species of
the singular raquet-tailed parrots forming the genus Prioniturus, and which are characterised
by possessing two long spoon-shaped feathers in the tail. Two allied species are found in the
adjacent island of Mindanao, one of the Philippines, and this form of tail is found in no oth-
er parrots in the whole world. A small species of Lorikeet (Trichoglossus flavoviridis)
seems to have its nearest ally in Australia.
The three Woodpeckers which inhabit the island are all peculiar, and are allied to species
found in Java and Borneo, although very different from them all.
Among the three peculiar Cuckoos two are very remarkable. Phœnicophaus callirhynchus
is the largest and handsomest species of its genus, and is distinguished by the three colours
of its beak, bright yellow, red, and black. Eudynamis melanorynchus differs from all its al-
lies in having a jet-black bill, whereas the other species of the genus always have it green,
yellow, or reddish.
The Celebes Roller (Coracias temmincki) is an interesting example of one species of a
genus being cut off from the rest. There are species of Coracias in Europe, Asia, and Africa,
but none in the Malay peninsula, Sumatra, Java, or Borneo. The present species seems
therefore quite out of place; and what is still more curious is the fact, that it is not at all like
any of the Asiatic species, but seems more to resemble those of Africa.
In the next family, the Bee-eaters, is another equally isolated bird, Meropogon forsteni,
which combines the characters of African and Indian Bee-eaters, and whose only near ally,
Meropogon breweri, was discovered by M. Du Chaillu
*
in West Africa!
The two Celebes Hornbills have no close allies in those which abound in the surrounding
countries. The only Thrush, Geocichla erythronota, is most nearly allied to a species peculi-
ar to Timor. Two of the Flycatchers are closely allied to Indian species which are not found
in the Malay islands. Two genera somewhat allied to the Magpies (Streptocitta and Charit-
