MEGALOPREPIA. 103 



Megaloprepia magnifica. 



MAGNIFICENT FKl'IT-PHiEON. 



Cflniiiliii miKjiiiJira, Ti'iiim.. Tr;iiis. Linn. Soc, Vol. XI IT,, p. li.') (ISl'l) 



Cnr/in/,/i,tiia tnai/ni/J'-d, Gould, llils. Austr., fol. Vol. V., pi. ."iS (1S48). 



J/'v/,(/„;-ny)ia ma;///;//cYt, (iould, Uanillik. IJils. Austr., Vol. H, p 110 (I8G.')); Salvad., Cat. llils 

 I'.rit. iMus., Vdl. XXI., p 1(57(1893); North, Rec. Austr. Mus., Vol. III., p. IC, (Jan. 1897); 

 Sliarpe, Hand-1. Bd.s., Vol. I., p. 62 (1899). 



.\l)lil,'r M.\LR. — (r'^'wrii/ fulditr aboc'- ffolden-i/ffen ; ujiuys (jrrr.n icitlt. a slig/il (jo/i/i n irasJi, lint 

 ii'hic/i is iHorr jii-onoiiHCfl OH tlu' inner n^ing-covprU ; the lesser, median and greater irinycoverts 

 lijijied or crossed near the tip n-it/i //right >/, /low, hecoiniug /laler on the innennosl secondaries, and 

 Jorminfi (I conspicuous gilJiiii- ohlirpie hnnil across tite wing: tail green, 9vilh a brume n-ash oh the 

 ni'irgins of the feathers : head and neck pale grey : centre of the throat, foreneck and breast rich deep 

 pnrpU\ tlie bases of the fejitIier-< on the latter dull gohlen-greij : lon-er portion of the ohdomen, tliighs 

 and rent gamboge- yeUon- : under taU-corerts ganiboge-yeU.o?i\ their centres faintly shaded with grey : 

 under ning-cove.rts rich yellou:. Total length in the flesh 17--J inches, loiug 9. tail T'lO, bill 0-9, 

 tarsus v.:. 



Adult fem,\LK. — Similar in plumage to the male. 



Diiti'ihidion. — Queensland, New South Wales. 



a'j^HE Magnificent Fruit Pigeon is freely distributed throughout the rich coastal brushes 

 of South-eastern Queensland and Xorth-eastern New South Wales. In the latter State 

 it is far more fiequently met with in that belt of luxurious vegetation lying between the Tweed 

 and Bellinger Rivers, where it is locally known as the " Whanipoa," than it is in the humid 

 valleys and mountain ranges farther south. 



Its food consists of the different fruits and berries obtained from the various trees and shrubs 

 growing in the brushes. 



For an opportunity of first examining a nest and egg of this species I was indebted to INIr. 

 George Savidge, of Copmanhurst, New South Wales, who found this line Pigeon breeding on 

 the Upper Clarence River. Mr. Savidge also forwarded me a skm of the female shot at the 

 nest, together with the following notes relative to procuring the nest and egg: — " Having been 

 told by some timber drawers that they had discovered three nests of M,\L:iilopirpia niasninca at 

 Pine Scrub, Oaky Creek, Upper Clarence, each with a single egg, and upon which the birds 

 were sitting, I determined to pay a visit to these scrubs to search for the nests. .Vccompanied 

 by a friend, Mr. Thos. Woods, and an aboriginal called ' Fred.' we started at daylight on the 

 morning of 8th November, 1896, and arrived at our destination, twenty-five miles distant, a 

 little after 10 a.m. Several nests were seen, but they contained neither eggs nor young, and after 

 a long search we decided upon going further into the scrub. The peculiar call of .1/. maguifica 

 could be heard on all sides, and at last, after searching for several hours, we saw one tly from a 

 tree about twenty-five yards in advance. Upon nearing the tree we discovered the nest, and 

 the egg could be plainly seen in it. Wishing to obtain the bird we sat down for some time, but 

 eventually decided to move lower down the creek into closer concealment, as I thought the bird 

 might be v.atching us and would not return. After waiting a quarter of an hour we observed 

 the Pigeon fly back and settle on a thick branch. I did not fire as it was a bit too far, and its 



