REPORT ON THE EIRDS — TONGA, THE FIJIS, API, AND TAHITI. 41 



In our Ornithology of Central Polynesia we followed Professor Schlegel in uniting 

 the hawk of the Fijis with Astur cruentus of Australia ; but, as on some other occasions, 

 we depended too much on Professor Schlegel's authority, and Professor Schlegel has 

 since declared himself to have been in error. Not having access to specimens, I cannot 

 myself judge of the correctness of Professor Schlegel's new view ; but the fine series now 

 before me inclines me to believe that Astur rufitorques is most probably peculiar to the 

 Fiji group, and not the same species as is distributed widely in the Malay archipelago 

 and usually known as Astur griseigularis and Astur henicogrammus, Gray (= Astur 

 (equator ialis, Wall). 



In coloration the Fiji specimens are pretty constant, all showing above a beautiful 

 ashy-blue, beneath a fine vinaceous rufous, which latter forms also a broad neck-collar. 

 This is less developed in No. 35, and looks rather imperfect. The under-surface in No. 

 62 shows a nearly obsolete undulation of narrow darker lines on the ventral region ; the 

 under wing-coverts in all the specimens before me are not " uniform white " as noted in 

 his specific diagnosis by Mr Sharpe (I. c, p. 95) ; but the white is washed with delicate 

 pale vinaceous, which shows in Nos. 34 and 80 faint darker undulations. An old speci- 

 men of Astur griseigularis is generally conspicuously darker, slaty-brownish on the 

 back, wings, and tail, the underparts also dark vinaceous-rufous, with perceptible 

 narrow light cross bands (agreeing exactly with figs. 3, 4, taf. xiv., in Schleg. Vog. van 

 Nederl. Indie). A young bird of Astur griseigularis hardly shows any difference from 

 our young male (No. 36), except that the lores, cheeks, and a median stripe on the 

 chin are decidedly ash)'. 



2. Platycercus splendens, Peale. 



Platycercus splendens, Finsch, Mon. Papag., vol. ii. p. 237 ; Layard, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1875, 

 p. 425 ; Ibis, 1876, p. 143 (first race only) ; Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1877, p. 728. 



Male. Eyes red. 



,, Eyes orange, feet and bill black. 

 Female. Eyes yellow. 

 These Parrots were very common in Kandavu, in large flocks, and made a screaming 

 noise when settling on the trees.] 



All the specimens agree among themselves ; all show a blue neck-collar, but it 

 differs in extent, in one (No. 112) being interrupted by green ; none of them have red 

 spots on' the rump, such as are sometimes shown in Platycercus tabuensis. The size 

 varies a good deal ; wings 8 inches to 8 inches 8 lines. 



(zool. chall. exp.). — part viii. — 1880). H G 



