y. Riley et al. 117 Bull. B.O.C. 1998 118(2) areas of habitat still exist, with approximately 36 000 ha having protected status (PPA 1980). In addition the species does seem to be able to survive in heavily degraded forest habitat. Since deforestation is already widespread on Salibabu and in particular Kabaruan, it would be interesting to assess the present distribution of eiiigma on these islands. A clearer indication ofthe species' ability to adapt to secondary habitats, in competition with chloris, would then be available and predictions of the possible effect of logging on the species' population would be easier to assess. Acknowledgements The authors would Hke to thank the following organisations w^ho provided financial sponsorship forAction Sanipiri: June Chamberlain Charity, BritishPetroleum, BirdLife International, Flora & Fauna International, Oriental Bird Club, The Parrot Society, Percy Sladen Memorial Fund, The University of York, Stiftung Avifauna Protecta, Royal Geographical Society and British Ornithologists' Union. Research in Indonesia was conductedjointlywith Universitas Sam Ratulangi, Manado, Sulawesi andunderthe sponsorship of Pusat Penelitian dan Pengembangan Biologi, Bogor and Lembaga Ilmu Pengatehuan Indonesia. References: Andrew, P. 1992. The Birds ofIndonesia: a checklist (Peters'sequence). lOS, Jakarta. Bishop, K. D. 1992. New and interesting records ofbirds in Wallacea. Kukila 6: 8-34. Collar, N. J., Crosby, M. J. & Stattersfield, A. J. 1994. Birds to Watch 2: The WorldList of ThreatenedBirds. BirdLife International, Cambridge. Dickinson, E. C, Kennedy, R. S. & Parkes, K. C. 1991. TheBirdsofthePhilippines:An annotatedcheck-list. B.O.U. Check-listNo. 12, BritishOrnithologists' Union, Tring. Eck, S. 1978. Die blaugruenen Halcyon-formen der Talaut-inseln. Zool. Abh. Staatl. Mus. Tierk. Dresden 34: 275-283. Frv, C. H. 1980. The evolutionarv biologv ofKingfishers (Alcedinidae). LivingBird 18: 113-160. Greenwav, J. C. Jr. 1978. Type specimens ofbirds in the American Museum ofNatural History. Part2 Otididae Picidae. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. His. 161: 1-306. . . . Hartert, E. 1904. The birds of the South-West Islands of Wetter, Roma, Kisser, Letti and Moa. Novit. Zool. 11: 174-221. Mever, A. B. & Wiglesworth, L. W. 1895. Eine zweite Sammlung von Vogeln von den 'Talaut-inseln. Abh. Ber. K. Zool. Mus. Dresden (1894/95) 9: 1-9. Meyer, A. B. & Wiglesworth, L. W. 1898. TheBirdsofCelebesandNeighbouringIslands. Friedlander, Berlin. Oberholser, H. C. 1919. A revision of the subspecies ofthe White-collared Kingfisher, Sauropatis chloris (Boddaert). Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 55: 351-395. PPA 1980. Telaah Kemungkinan Pengembangan Taman Buru P. Karakelang, Sulawesi Utara. PPA, Bogor. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L. Jr. 1990. Distributionand TaxonomyofBirdsofthe World. Yale Universir\^ Press, New Haven and London. Taylor, J. 1991. Recce report of "Sangir-Talaud" Oct-Nov 1990. Unpublished report. White&, C. M. N. & Bruce, M. D. 1986. The Birds of Wallacea (Sulawesi, The Moluccas Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. B.O.U. Check-list No. 7, British Ornithologists' Union, Tring. Addresses: Jon Rilev, 1 The Croft, North Sunderland, Seahouses, Northumberland NE68 7XA, U.K. Damien Hicks, Little Wyllies, Deakes Lane, Cuckfield, West Sussex RH17 5JB, U.K. James C. Wardill, 27 Carlton Avenue, Hornsea, East Yorkshire HU18 IJG, U.K. (^ British Ornithologists' Club 1998 In Brief 118 . 5m//. B.O.C. 1998 118(2) A hybrid munia? by S. (Bas) van Balen Received21 April 1997 In Bull. Brit. Orn. CI. 116: 137-142, R. L. Restall described in detail the new munia Lonchura pallidiventer. The bird has a very distinctive appearance and seems to make a good (and attractive) new species. However, I feel that the author did not convincingly exclude the possibility of a hybrid in suggesting the species' authenticity. The following incongruities were found in his account. 1. The birds described show a suspicious amount of variation in plumage pattern, and the following characters in particular were apparently not consistent and not linked with sex: (a) presence or absence of black tips to the under tail coverts; (b) presence or absence of white spots on the breast; (c) colouring of heel barring: chestnut/black or buff/black; (d) colour of lower breast: black or chestnut. 2. It appears that no offspring were produced by the birds, some of which were reportedly kept in captivity by apparently expert munia breeders for five years. Though munias are not always prolific breeders, and some even reputedly difficult, this low fertility (or perhaps sterility) of the birds, suggests hybrids. 3. Though hardly any part of Kalimantan has been explored very exhaustively, the hinterland of Banjarmasin is one of the best surveyed areas, and new species are quite unexpected from this region. Whilst looking at the illustrations of Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata and White-bellied Munia Lonchura leucogastra (both depicted very conveniently on one plate by Clement et al. 1993) I could not help thinking of Cream-bellied Munia being the perfect cross of these two species. The southern Kalimantan race of White-bellied, castanota, is very distinct from the other races because ofits chestnut or deep warm brown upper parts, contributing even more to the rich brown uppers of Cream-bellied. Moreover, both species co-occur in South Kalimantan and are scarce (Smythies 1981; Holmes & Burton 1987), which would promote hybridization as choice of mates is restricted (see Campbell & Lack 1985). The Cream-bellied's slightly larger size than either of these species can be explained by hybrid vigour producing larger and stronger birds (Campbell & Lack 1985). Two sex-linked differences were described by Restall: (1) the grizzled lines on the upper part of the cream belly, which are also found in both sexes of White-bellied; (2) slight barring on the lower rump, which is found in both sexes of Scaly-breasted. This may be consistent with subtle sexual differences found in both, supposedly monochromatic 'parent' species. At least three things should be done to 'test' this new species. 1. Breed the new species and examine its fertility and consistency of specific characters in their offspring, 2. Cross-breed White-bellied and Scaly-breasted Munias, 3. Find the birds in the wild. Especially the last A. Tow?7setidPeterso?i 119 Bw//. 5.0.C. 1998 118(2) is of importance because it remains questionable whether or not these birds, if hybrids, are of a natural provenance or a product of genetic manipulation by a local aviculturist. High prices are sometimes paid for rare, exotic bird species, and it is conceivable that especially new and attractive-looking forms would make good prices on the national and international market. The relatively large number of birds during the last five years (13 specimens), as reported by the author, suggests the latter possibility. References: Campbell, B. & Lack, E. (eds) 1985. Dictionary ofBirds. T. & A. D. Poyser, Calton. Clement. P., Harris, A. & Davis, J. 1993. Finches andSparrows. Helm, London. Holmes, D. A. & Burton, K. D. 1987. Recent notes on the avifauna of Kalimantan. Kukila 3: 2-32. Smythies, B. E. 1981. TheBirdsofBorneo. The Sabah SocietywithTheMalayanNature Society. — Address: Birdlife International IndonesiaProgramme, P.O. Box 310/Boo, Bogor 16003, Indonesia. C British Ornithologists' Club 1998 The distribution and type locality of the extinct Slender-billed Grackle Quiscalus palustris A by Townsend Peterson . Received3June 1997 The Slender-billed Grackle Quiscalus palustris was described by Swainson (1827), based on specimens collected by W. Bullock. The type locality was described as "marshes and borders of the lakes round Mexico", which was long interpreted as indicating the large lakes that formerly existed within the Valley of Mexico itself. However, this interpretation, and indeed the type locality of the species itself, were changed by Dickerman (1965), and accepted by most subsequent authorities (e.g. American Ornithologists' Union 1983). Dickerman (1965) provided convincing evidence that the species also occurred in the marshes east of the Valley of Mexico along the headwaters of the Rio Lerma. E. A. Goldman collected the species at Lerma in 1904, describing the habitat as follows: "The marsh is filled with a varied assortment of aquatic vegetation, including tules, sedges, and many submerged species . . . The marsh is an important watering place for migratory waterfowl, and a breeding area for resident waterfowl" (Goldman 1951). Wilmot W. Brown, Jr., collected additional series at "San Mateo" in 1910. Dickerman (1965) argued that this locality also was in the Lerma marshes; his identification of this site as San Mateo Atenco, 13.5 km ESE of Toluca, is borne out by