On Arachnotheria longirostra (Latham)

The typical habitat of Arachnothera longirostra (Latham) — Ind. Orn. I, 1790, p. 299, Certhia longirostra — is Bengal. This form is spread over an extensive area, but specimens of some of the Malay islands show differences with those of the continent of Asia. How far away from Bengal the typical form is found, I am not able to say with full certainty, as the material I have at my disposal from the continent and also from Sumatra is very poor, but it seems to me that examples from the continent, from the Malay Peninsula, from the Riouw-Lingga Archipelago, from Sumatra, Banka and Billiton belong to one and the same form. As said, my material from these parts however is very poor. In the Leyden Museum there are 1 specimen from Tenasserim, 5 specimens from Sumatra, 2 from Billiton, 5 from Banka, 8 from Nias, 9 from Java, 16 from Borneo, 1 from Celebes and 2 from the Philippines. Through the kindness of Dr. Hartert I received for examination from the Rothschild Museum in Tring 10 specimens from the continent, 2 from Lingga, 10 from the Natoena Islands, 2 from Serasan, 2 from the Mentawei Islands and 1 from Borneo. The results of the examination of this material are the following. The specimens from Sumatra, Banka, Billiton, Lingga, from Malakka and from other parts of the continent belong very likely to the typical Arachnothera longirostra (Latham); the bill measures from 34 mm. (♀♀) to 41 mm. (♂♂), the wing from 58 (♀♀) to 69 mm. (♂♂); the yellow of the under parts is rather pale.