ON A VARIETY of GOURA COROSATA. 



By Alfred J. North, C.M.Z.S., Ornithologist. 



While tlie Curator was engaged in re-arranging the foreign 

 bird collection, he brought under my notice a mounted specimen 

 of (ruHi-a coronata which was entirely different from another 

 typical example of this species in a different part of the case. 

 The specimen under consideration is in markings and size similar 

 to the well-known form of Crowned Pigeon, but almost the entire 

 plumage, except the white wing-speculum and apical tail-band, 

 had a distinct blackish wash, only a few small places about the 

 head, breast, wings and tail revealing here and there the bluish 

 slaty-grey plumage, the chestnut tips of the upper wing-coverts 

 and band across the back, also being much darker. The locality 

 of the sjiecimen is unknown, and after a careful compaiison I 

 concluded it was a melanistic variety of Goura coronata. Subse- 

 quent research by the Assistant Taxidermist revealed another 

 skin in the foreign collection. This specimen was received in 

 1897 as a donation from the Director of the Botanic Gardens, 

 iSydne}^ the habitat recorded in the register as Java, being undoub- 

 tedly erroneous. With the exceptions pointed out in the mounted 

 example, the remainder of the plumage may be described as deep 

 sooty bluish-black including the head and crest plumes. The only 

 indications of the normal bluish slaty-grey plumage of Goura 

 coronata, may be seen in some places on the quills and tail 

 feathers. It measures — Total length 24-5 inches, wing 12-75, tail 

 9-2, exposed portion of bill 1-3, tarsus 3-.5, and is distinctly 

 smaller than typical examples of Goura coronata. Whether the 

 dark plumage is due to climatic influence, confinement, or typical 

 of a distijict species, I am unable to say, but I purpose to distin- 

 guish the latter specimen under the name of Goura coroyuata, var. 

 niyra. 



