OCR Text |
Show 1878.] MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE GENUS PTILOPUS. 549 rowed at tip. Tail bronzy green above, beneath black, with apical greyish-white band. Bill black, tip yellow. Feet red. Total length 7\ inches, wing 4|, tail 2\, culmen f-. 30. PTILOPUS INSOLITUS. Ptilopus insolitus, Schleg. Nederl. Tijdsch. (1861) vol. i. p. 61, pl. 3. fig. 3. Ptilopus humeralis jobiensis (monstr. ?), Schleg. Mus. Pays-1873, p. 16, Columbce. CEdirhinus globifer, Cab. & Reich. Sitzungsb. Gesellsch. nat. Freunde Berlin 1876, p. 73; id. Journ. fiir Ornith. 1876, p. 326. 03dirhinus insolitus, Sclat. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1877, p. 110; Salvad. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1877, p. 196. Hab. New Ireland (Huesker); Duke-of-York Island (Brown). This strange and attractive species was first described by Schlegel (I. ci). He afterwards, on account of the protuberance on the forehead, imagined it was only a monstrosity of the Pt. jobiensis. This, however, is not the fact, as the species is very distinct. The locality given by Schlegel (New Caledonia) is probably an error, as the bird has lately been received from both New Ireland aud Duke-of-York Island. Cabanis and Reichenow have made a new genus for the reception of this bird, " 03dirhinus," on account of the swelling of the forehead. I have not adopted this term; for the division does not seem to me to be necessary. The same peculiarity exists in species of Carpophaga, viz. C. tumida and C. rubricera and others ; and if h a sufficient cause to separate Pt. insolitus from the members of the genus Ptilopus, the species above mentioned should also be generically divided from Carpophaga, a proceeding which is hardly likely to meet with favour. Nothing is known about the habits and economy of the present species. In the arrangement of the group it naturally comes next to the Pt. jobiensis. Adult. Head, neck, back, breast, and flanks bright bronzy green. Throat green, slightly tinged with grey. Abdomen deep orange. Shoulders and a patch on each side of the back at the edge of the mantle light grey. Wings green ; secondaries margined with bright yellow on their outer webs; inner secondaries light grey, margined with green. Tail bright green, with the apical third ashy grey. Crissum and under tail-coverts bright yellow. Bill greenish at base, yellowish at tip. Forehead and base of culmen covered by a bony protuberance large and rounded in form, very conspicuous, and of a red colour. Tarsi and feet red. Total length 9$ inches, wing 5, tail 3, bill at gape f. 31. PTILOPUS NANUS. Columba Naina, Temm. Plan. Col. no. 565; Knip & Pre'v. Pig. vol. ii. pl. 59. La Naine, Less. Compl. Buff. torn. iii. Ois. p. 30 (1837). Ptilonopus naina, Gray, Gen. B. vol. iii. p. 467 (1844-49). Lotreron nana, Bon. Consp. Gen. Av. vol. ii. p. 25 (1857). |