Avifauna of New Caledonia. 529 



find its way hither, it comes from the Loyalty Islands, where 

 it is constantly found during the rainy season. M. Marie 

 did not obtain it, though he notes it in his list. 



52. Ph^norhina GOLIATH, G. R. Gray. 



This grand Pigeon is found in all the mountain-forests in 

 the wilder parts in great abundance. The Messieurs Boyer 

 have killed from fourteen to twenty a day in the forests of 

 the " Chaine centrale,^^ at the back of their house ; and when 

 we state that the birds weigh within an ounce or so of 2 lb. 

 each, some idea may be formed of the welcome addition such 

 a " chasse " must make to our kind host's table, round which 

 cluster ten " olive branches " varying in age from 25 to 12. 



When the capsicum (which has escaped from cultivation 

 and run wild in many places) becomes ripe, these Pigeons 

 descend from the mountains to feed on the burning pods.. 

 They then become very fat ; but their flesh is said to acquire 

 such a pungent flavour as to be almost uneatable. Their 

 ordinary food consists of berries of all sorts and sizes, some 

 of them of such large dimensions that it seems incredible 

 they can be swallowed whole and pass, with other excreta, 

 with but little loss of size. The lower mandible, however, 

 is very thin and flexible, being also loosely jointed at the tip, 

 where the bone is very narrow. This, together with the 

 expansive nature of the skin of the gullet and throat, enables 

 the beak to gape to an enormous extent and gulp down huge 

 forest-i'ruits with fleshy pulp covering hard woody kernels. 

 We lately extracted from one bird several that would not 

 individually go into a " Keating's cough-lozenge " box, which 

 happened to be on the table by our side, and which they 

 much resembled in in shape, except that they were not flat. 



Of the nesting of this grand Pigeon we can gain no infor- 

 mation beyond the fact, revealed by dissection, that it must 

 be from about September to November. In life the bill and 

 feet are deep crimson, the former with tip of deep horn-colour, 

 almost black ; iris orange, with red ring. 



It utters a deep booming note, like the bellowing of a bull, 

 which may be heard at a great distance; indeed the resem- 



