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Show I 432 MR. E. L. LAYARD ON FIJIAN BIRDS. [June 1, Nests composed of coarse rootlets slightly woven, so that the eggs may be seen through against the light, and lined with finer rootlets, and even the hair of animals ; generally placed in the fork of a branch. Diam. 3", depth 2". Eggs three to four, axis 1", diam. 9'", delicate pink (fades rapidly), speckled, chiefly on the obtuse end, with dark pink spots. It breeds in October, November, and December, in each of which months eggs have been brought to me*. Bill black ; legs dirty green ; inside of feet yellow ; iris dark brown. Male considerably larger than female : in full breeding-storgy 1 to 1*75 inch. PTILOTIS CARUNCULATA (Gmel.); F. & H. op. cit. p. 58. This Ptilotis is, as far as I yet know, confined to L o m a Loma, where m y son shot it in the middle of December, showing no signs of breeding. He was for some time on Mango and Thithia, and neither saw nor heard it; neither did I in m y flying visit in the early part of the year, though I heard a species on Loma Loma, and indeed in most of the other places at which we touched; but m y time was too limited, and otherwise engaged, to enable m e to collect any thing. M y son found it frequenting the flowers of the " Ndilo " trees, extracting minute insects. PTILOTIS PROVOCATOR, Layard, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 28. This new species seems confined to the island of Kandavu, the southernmost of the group. In habits, call, &c. it resembles P. procerior. I found it frequenting the Erythrina trees, in flower during m y visit there, hanging about the blossoms in every conceivable position for the purpose of probing the flower-tubes in search of honey and insects. TATARE ? VIRIDIS, Layard, sp. nov. General colour throughout a uniform olive-green, tinged with yellow. Inner webs of primaries very dark green ; outer webs golden green ; shafts of wing- and tail-feathers black. Underside of wing pale buff; plumage somewhat lax ; bill and legs bright orange; bill 1" 10'", much curved. Tarsi 1" 6'"; legs strong, largely scutellated in front, none behind ; claws dark, hook-curved, and sharp. Total length 10"; wing, 5" 2'". Tail-feathers pointed. First quill of wing half length of third ; second quill much shorter than third, which is shorter than fourth ; fourth, fifth, sixth equal; seventh and eighth graduated. Tail 5". Found at Taviuni by Mr. Liardet. Said to " creep" on trees. I know nothing of it personally. LAMPROLIA VICTORIES, Finsch, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 735, pl. lxii. This singular bird is confined to a mountain-range on the north of Taviuni. Mr. Liardet, in a late expedition, procured several specimens. From his description of its habits I should be inclined to * Mr. Kleinsmidt had a nest of young ones in his garden, fully fledged in the first week in February. |
