Mr. E. P. Ramsay on Didunculus strigirostris. 99 



The natives also had a great share in its destruction ; for as 

 long as this Pigeon could be procured in considerable numbers, 

 they were in the habit of making annual excursions into the 

 mountains for the sole purpose of catching and feasting on the 

 Didunculus. The natives used bird-lime, made from the gum 

 of the breadfruit-tree mixed with oil, to secure the birds, or 

 caught them in nets by making use of a decoy Manu-rtiea kept 

 for the purpose. 



The Didunculus is strictly a ground-Pigeon, giving a decided 

 preference to the thickly wooded sides of the mountains, where, 

 when plentiful, they assemble in flocks of from ten to twenty 

 in number, feeding upon berries and wild fruits, their favourite 

 food being the mountain-plantain. On taking flight, they make 

 a great flapping, which has given rise to the native saying, "As 

 noisy as a Manu-mea." The only note observed by Mr. Williams 

 (and which I myself have since heard) is a very low plaintive 

 cry, something like that of a young chick, repeated only once 

 or twice. 



The head, neck, and upper part of the chest are of a dull 

 slate-blue colour, the feathers on the back of the head and neck 

 and on the lower sides of the neck having a gloss of metallic 

 green in some lights. The lower part of the chest, breast, and 

 abdomen are of a dull slaty brown ; the edges and under sides of 

 the wings and the under tail-coverts are of a dark brown. The 

 scapular region is brown, the centre and edges of the feathers 

 being chestnut, as are the short feathers on the wings, with the 

 exception of the very short feathers covering the primary quills, 

 which are a dull dark brown. The upper parts of the outer webs 

 and tertiaries are chestnut ; the rest of the tertiaries and the se- 

 condaries are dark brown. The back is of a deep-chestnut tint; 

 the upper tail-coverts a dull dark brown, centred and margined 

 broadly with chestnut. The tail is of a deep chestnut, the outer 

 feathers being the shortest, and their inner webs being brown. 

 Some of the tail-feathers of this specimen are missing, but I 

 believe it had originally fourteen in all. 



The bill is of a bright deep flesh-colour, with a slight tint of 

 orange, becoming light flesh-colour at the inner edges of the 

 mandibles, and almost light horn-colour at the tip of the upper 



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