Birds of the Fiji Islands. 143 



Koro^ an island midway between Ovalau and Taviuni, and, 

 rambling on shore, we came across some Parrots. 



We shot three birds ; and on examining them our aston- 

 ishment; was not a little increased to find that two of them 

 exhibited the faintest trace of the blue nuchal collar ! while 

 all have a large red broken maroon bar across the rump. Here, 

 then, we have four distinct races in these islands (and, as I shall 

 presently show, this is not a solitary instance) : — first, the bright 

 crimson-bellied race, with blue collar, of Viti Levu, extending, 

 I think, to Kandavu"^ ; second, the Mathuata bird (Bua and 

 Ndreketti), on the other large island of Vanua Levu, ma- 

 roon-bellied, with broadish blue nuchal collar f ; third, the 

 Koro bird, maroon-bellied, with the faintest trace of the blue 

 collar I j and, fourth, the Taviuni race (P. taviunensis, mihi), 

 maroon-coloured, and without a trace of the blue collar. 



In habits the races are similar. They frequent the forest, 

 feeding on various fruits and berries as they come into season, 

 and making descents on the planters^ Indian-corn crops, where 

 their depredations are very serious. They are very shy and 

 wary, planting sentinels, who, with harsh cries, warn the flock 

 of approaching danger, when off they all troop to the forest, 

 and hide silently in the dense crowns of the broadest-leafed 

 trees. If they find themselves discovered, they utter loud cries, 

 swaying themselves to and fro on their perches, and holding 

 themselves ready for flight in a moment. I have dodged them 

 by appearing to walk past, and then, after changing my No. 

 10 cartridge for No. 7, crept back and dropped my quarry, who 

 had meanwhile resumed his feeding, thinking that all was 

 secure. 



A gentleman at Ngila assured me that he had obtained 

 three young ones from the same nest. They are capable of 

 being tamed to any extent ; and a lady on the Rewa has several 

 pairs of these and P. personatus that fly about the woods 



* [Tliis is P. splendcns (Peale). Examples from both islands are in 

 Lord Walden's collection. — Ed.] 



t [This is probably P. tabuensis ; but Mr. Layard's speciments have not 

 yet reached this country. — Ed.] 



J [This appears to be P. hysginus (Forster) ; but Mr. Layard's specimens 

 have not yet arrived. — Ed,] 



