Avifauna of New Caledonia. 507 



Female. Length 15", wing 6" 9'", tail 7'", tarse 1" 3'", bill 

 1" 10'". General colour dark sooty brown; ear-coverts 

 faintly marked with yellow hairs ; bare space round the eye 

 bright chrome-yellow (not crimson^ as depicted by Brenchley), 

 fading in death to orange ; a half-moon flap of the same- 

 coloured skin folds back and partially covers the ear ; a few 

 black hair-like feathers extend from the corner of the eye in 

 a narrow line to the base of this flap ; a broader line of a 

 similar kind also extends from the gape to the flap. Bill 

 curved ; nostrils elongate, perforated ; upper mandible all 

 black, except the edge of the base, which is greenish yellow ; 

 lower mandible, point black, then a dash of livid white, and 

 the base greenish yellow. Tongue tipped with long hairs or 

 filaments. Feet and legs very powerful, livid greenish yel- 

 low. Iris very dark brown. Wings vei'y weak. Skin, yellow 

 and very thicTi, reminded us of a greased white kid glove. 

 The bird has a powerful musky odour. The cry is described 

 by the Messieurs Boyer as a harsh croak while on the wing, 

 and a low sibilant cry while feeding. One bird we skinned 

 on the 10th October was evidently sitting. 



19. Philemon lessoni, G. R. Gray. 



The " Koniyou,^^ as it is called by the natives, from one of 

 its notes, is a common forest-bird, its loud and varied calls 

 betraying its presence wherever we have penetrated, one of 

 its cries, the most usual, reminding us of the word " popinjay,^' 

 the last syllabic much accentuated. It is a bold pugnacious 

 bird, attacking hawks, crows, parrots, and any other species, 

 in fact, that dares to intrude where it may be. In their 

 desperate battles among themselves likewise the green woods 

 ring with their clamour. They are flower-suckers, but feed 

 also on insects ; and we have seen one pursue a Cicada, turn- 

 ing the most fantastic summersaults in the air, and on captur- 

 ing its prey returnto a branch to batter the hard-shelled insect 

 to pulp before gulping it down whole. Individuals vary 

 much in size, but they average 12" in length. The bill is 

 black ; legs dark brown ; iris dark drab. Tongue pointed and 

 filamentous at the tip. The young birds want the lanceolate 



