242 NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



Kcv. S. .1. W'liiiiiH-o, a mall', was very savage, niffli-il its fc'athei"s, aiul tried to bite any 

 one aiiproac-liiiiL; it. He stated that lie knew from exjieriencc that if it got hold of the 

 finger it gave a severe grip. It was jihieed in a large aviary with other liirds, and 

 lorded it over the other inmates, only |>erniitling them to feed when it had finished, 

 di-iving them about in a very savage manner. Some later writers have considered 

 tliat the proper jiosition for this bird should be ne.xt to Treron, but as the rea.sons given 

 do not seem to be thoroughly eonelusive, it is best to leave it ne.vt to the dodo anil its 

 kindred, where the majority of ornithologists have, up to the jjresent time, considered 

 it should be jilaced. 



The GouuiD^ eom))rises the great gi-ound-pigeons, the largest and finest of existing 

 species. There are about six belonging to the genus Gotini, known by the trivial 

 name of crowned-])igeons, and remarkable for their great size and the high, open 

 crest with which the head is ornamented. They pass most of their time upon the 

 ground, walking in a majestic kind of way along the foi-e.st jiaths, flying, when disturbed, 

 to the lowest branches of the nearest trees, in whicii situations they jiass the night. 

 They are natives of the Papuan Archijielago, where the absence of predatory aninials 

 an<l scarcity of large reptiles ]iermit them to lead a comjiaratively secure life and breed 

 unmolested in tiie localities they freijucnt. They fee<l on fruits, and lay two eggs; 

 the nest is stated to be jilaced on the branches of trees. Some of the species have, at 

 different times, been inmates of the aviaries in various zoological gardens, where they 

 always attracted attention and admiration from their size, stately bearing, and the 

 harmonious coloring of their ])lumage. Tiie earliest known species is the G. coronata. 

 Another even more beautiful is G. ulljertisii, from Xew Guinea, and G. victoria from 

 Jobi and Misori. 



The Coi.irMniD.E, containing those ])igeons whose long tarsi fit them more for a 

 terrestrial than an arboreal existence, and also the doves, comi)rises a great number 

 of species scattered all over the world, divided by different authors into many genera, 

 a large tuimber of which r:\n at the most onlj' be considered of sub-generic value, and 

 many as entirely unnecessary, being of no value at all. Thirty-nine may be considered 

 as sufli(!iently established to require notice, and in this article a brief review of the 

 species they contain will be given. 



The first is Ol i\/iji/i(ij)s, :i gvnns crcixtcd for the beautiful birds front Xew Guinea 

 and other of the Papuan Islands. Their exact position is nut yet fully established, 

 some authors having jdaced them, with an exjiressed doubt, however, in the family 

 Didunculidx, others in the Gouridie. Of the two the latter is certainly more nearly 

 correct, but it would seem that the great crowned-pigeons arc sufficiently characteristic 

 to stand in a family by themselves, :md then Otidipluips would occupy the position 

 here assigned it at the foot of the present family. Three species of this genus are 

 known, binls of considerable beauty of plumiigo and symmetry of form. They have 

 been so lately discovered that very little has been recorded about them, only two or 

 three Euro])e:ms ever having seen them alive. They are said to live in woods, feed 

 u|)on fruits, and (me {O. tiofn'fis) is said to have a strong voice like a megaiiode. The 

 flesh is white, tender, and most excellent for food. They are about eighteen inches in 

 length, with a pluinnge of green and blue, metallic about the neck, and chestnut on the 

 back. The tail contains the unusual number of twentv feathers. 



The genus Tii/tn/f/on has but a single species ( E. tern'.i(riii), a native of Pa])ua. It 

 is a haridsome bird with a rather strong bill, and a ]ilnmage of a general dark le.aden 

 gray. There is a white sjiot on the sides of the head; the back, rump, wings, and 



