BIRDS^ REPTILES^ AND FISHES. 245 



solitary specimen of another larg*e pig^eon — with the 

 throat white^ and the plumag-e with purple and 

 g*reen metallic reflections — was obtained^ also a small 

 dove of a new species^ with pink forehead and broad 

 cream-coloured pectoral band^ which has been named 

 by Mr. Gould Ptilonojms stropJiium, The only 

 other bird which I shall mention is a very fine king*- 

 fisher (Halcyon saurophaga), with white head^ neck^ 

 and lower parts^ green scapulars^ and blue wing's 

 and tail^ previously known by a sing^le specimen 

 from New Guinea in the British Museum. It is 

 a very shy bird^ frequenting* the margin of the 

 island^ usually seen perched on some detached or 

 solitary branch, as if sunning* itself, and darting- off 

 into the dense brush upon being* approached. 



Small lizards were plentiful^ but we met with no 

 larg-e ones or snakes during- our rambles on the 

 Duchateau Isles. These islands are probably much 

 resorted to by turtle^ as they were daily seen swim- 

 ming- about^ and one was caug-ht on shore during- our 

 stay by a party of natives. The variety of fishes 

 caug'ht at this anchor ag-e was considerable^ and fur- 

 nished many additions to the ichthyolog-ical collec- 

 tion^ to which the paucity of other objects in zoology 

 for some time back enabled me to bestow much 

 attention.* Among- the g-enera most remarkable 



* Besides many kinds preserved in spirits, which have not yet 

 been examined, my collection contained stuffed specimens of about 

 forty species of Louisiade fishes. These, I have been informed 

 by Sir John Richardson, have nearly all been previously described 

 from other parts of Oceania, the Indian Ocean, and the China 



