COLUMBiE. 161 



147. CARPOPHAGA lANTHINA. 



(JAPANESE FRUIT-PIGEON.) 



Coluniba janthina, Temminck, Planches Coloriees, no. 503 (1830). 



The Japanese Fruit-Pigeon is a large bird (wing from carpal joint 

 9 to 8^ inches). It is slaty brown^ bronzed with reddish purple and 

 green. 



Figures : Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica^ Aves_, pi. 60 c. 



The Japanese Fruit-Pigeon is peculiar to Japan and some of the 

 neighbouring islands. There are two examples in the Pryer col- 

 lection from Yokohama^ and one from the central group of the Loo- 

 Choo Islands. There is an example in the Norwich Museum 

 obtained by Mr. Ringer near Nagasaki^ and there are several 

 examples in the British Museum from Nagasaki and Yokohama. 

 There is an example in the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfort 

 (labelled Columba metaUica) obtained by Kittlitz on one of the 

 Bonin Islands^ and there is a second example in the St. Petersburg 

 Museum from the same source. The latter has been made the type 

 of a new species, lanthoenas nitens (Stejneger, Proc. United States 

 Nat. Mus. 1887, p. 421), on the ground that the head is brown 

 instead of grey. The difference is doubtless due to abrasion. 

 Amongst the examples in the British Museum from Yokohama and 

 Nagasaki are several in which the slate-grey ground-colour has more 

 or less faded to russet-brown, and the metallic purples and greens 

 have become dull. The metallic colours are very deceptive. In 

 typical examples the breast is green, very slightly suffused with 

 pinkish purple when seen with the spectator's back to the light. 

 The Bonin example in the Senckenberg Museum is the greenest I 

 have seen. On the other hand, the Loo-Choo example in the Pryer 

 collection has the breast -feathers pinkish purple with green bases, 

 ■when seen in the position mentioned. These are probably individual 

 differences unconnected with geographical distribution. 



The genera of the Columbae have never been satisfactorily diagnosed, 

 and it is possible that this species and the two following do not belong 

 to the genus Carpophaga. It has been stated (Garrod, Proc. Zool. 

 Soc. 1875, p. 367) that an allied species differs from the species of 

 that genus in two important particulars : it has no gall-bladder and 

 it has a caecum. 



