The typical habitat of Microglossus aterrimus (Gmelin) is Australia, where the bird is found only in the northern part. Under this name black cockatoos from New Guinea, and by some authors also from the Aroe Islands, Misool, Salawatti and Waigeoe, have been mentioned; Messrs. Rothschild and Hartert, however, separate birds from the last named islands subspecifically from those of New Guinea. Specimens from the Aroe Islands are, as a rule, much smaller than those from New Guinea and the western Papuan Islands, so that it is correct to recognise them as a subspecies, named Microglossus aterrimus alecto (Temminck), or, probably more correctly, M. a. intermedia (Schlegel), as the type-specimen of Ara alecto Temminck is without indication of habitat and as there have been observed also very small specimens in the western Papuan Islands; Schlegel in 1861 mentioned under the name of Cac. intermedia birds from the Aroe Islands. In the Leyden Museum are 10 specimens from the Aroe Islands, measuring: ♂ ♂, wing 310—357 mm., culmen 69—95 mm.; ♀ ♀, wing 318—346 mm., culmen 73—92 mm. Specimens from Waigeoe, Gemieu, Salawatti and Misool are, as a rule, larger than those from the Aroe Islands, measuring: ♂ ♂, wing 342—382 mm., culmen 94 — 112mm.; ♀ ♀, wing 335—370 mm., culmen 74 —87 mm. Specimens from Misool seem to be smaller than those from the three other islands. The Leyden Museum possesses 7 specimens from Waigeoe, 1 from Gemien, 3 from Salawatti and 3 from Misool.