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Show 1876.] OF THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 501 that the bird has been introduced into Eooa artificially. I already (Ibis, 1876) described the varieties of this species and Pl. splendens, Peale. It will be seen that Pl. tabuensis and its allies inhabit that part of Fiji to which the Tongans have long )*ears ago had free access. They and the Samoans are specially partial to red feathers for trimming their fans, &c, and for this purpose keep our little Lorius solitarius in confinement, plucking it twice a year. I was told they fetched as high as 20 or 30 dollars a pair in Tonga, to which place, and to Samoa, they are conveyed by every canoe or vessel that leaves these islands. What more likely, then, that some Tongan (a chief probably) took with him the form of P. tabuensis found in Vanua Levu, and either purposely or accidentally let it loose in Eooa? It could never fly thither of its own accord ; its powers are too limited; and not one representative of the genus is found anywhere among the islands. No ! it must have been introduced*. At Vavaw I heard of a " small parrot with two long feathers in its tail" which formerly existed in the group, but has become quite extinct. 6. CORIPHILUS FRINGILLACEUS, Gm. This lovely little bird is very abundant on Eooa and Vavaw, but is rare on Tonga Tabu ; at least so said the Missionaries. Native name " Kohanga." 7. EUDYNAMIS TAITIENSIS, Sparrm. I could hear nothing of such a bird; but it probably exists there. 8. HALCYON SACRA, Gm. 9. H. VENERATA, Gm. I shot a whole lot of Kingfishers to find H. venerata, but, I fear, without succeeding in my object. I however observed that the bills in the Tongan birds were shorter than ours, and that full-plumaged males never assumed the fine chestnut colours of our bird. 10. COLLOCALIA VANICORENSIS, Quoy. 11. C. SPODIOPYGIA, Peale. The latter is very common; the former I could not detect. 12. PTILOTIS CARUNCULATA, Gm. The commonest bird in the group, native name " Fule-haio." 13. TATARE LONGIROSTRIS, Gm. No such bird known to any one in the group, and no native name for it. Has it too become extinct ? 14. MONARCHA NIGRA, Sparrm. This bird has undoubtedly become extinct. Large sums have * Cf. Sclater, supra, p. 308.-ED. |