PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 517 



much shorter and slenderer bill and smaller feet. Adult male with a 

 transverse patch of white on each flank. 



Adult male.—^o. 128775, U.S.N.M., He St. Josepli, Amirante group, 

 Indian Ocean, August 29. 1892; Dr. W. L. Abbott: Phimage black, 

 dulkM% and inclining to dark grayisli brown on tertials aiul under parts, 

 the lanceolate leathers of the top of tlie head, hind neck, back, and 

 scapulars, as well as some of the smaller wing-coverts, very slightly 

 glossed with dull greenish and x>urplish (the former prevading); outer 

 webs of rectrices faintly glossed with i)urple. A conspicuous trans- 

 verse, somewhat crescentic, patcli of white on each flank. Shafts of 

 rectrices pale brown or brownish white on under surface. " l>dl brown- 

 ish horn; gular pouch red; feet black; irides brown." (Abbott, MS.) 



Total length (before skinning), 30.50 inches; wing, 20; tail, 13; 

 middle feathers, 5.70; culmen, 3.30; greatest width of bill at base, 

 0.92; depth at base, 0.95; depth through narrowest part, 0.42; middle 

 toe, 1.80. 



Family PERDICIDiE. 



17. "PARTRIDGE." 



Introduced from Madagascar, via Mauritius, into lies des Roches, 

 Poivre, and D'Arros. (Abbott, MS.) 



Family COLTTMBID.E. 



18. TURTUR SATURATUS, Ridgway. 



Turtur safitralits, RiDCrWAY, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XVI, Xo. 953, Advance sheet, 

 August 16, 1893, p. 4. 



Specific characters. — Similar to T. ahhthranus, Sclater, but much 

 darker; the whole back rich purplish chocolate, the head, neck, and 

 chest similar, but slightly paler; light-colored tips to rectrices more 

 restricted and more tinged with gray (wholly gray in adult female); 

 adult male with sides of neck distinctly glossed with green. 



Habitat. — Amirante group (He Poivre; He Alphonse*?). 



Ty2)e.—l^o. 128725, U.S.N.M., male adult. He Poivre, August 22, 

 1892; Dr. W. L. Abbott. " Bill whitish liorn at ti|), cere and base livid 

 X)urple; feet livid purple in front, leaden behind.""' (Abbott, MS.) 



Not having any adult male from He Alphonse, I am somewhat 

 doubtful regarding the question of whether the birds of that island 

 and He [*oivre are identical. An adult female from He Alphonse is 

 in general characters similar to the male from He Poivre, but has the 

 wings, rump, upper tail-coverts, and middle tail feathers nnich browner 

 (very nearly Prout's brown on upper tail -coverts), while the terminal- 

 spaces of the tail feathers are wholly gray or else tinged with brown, 

 there being no white whatever. There is only a trace of green gloss on 

 the sides of the neck, and this is observable only in certain lights. 

 The dimensions are considerably smaller than in the He Poivre bird, 



