- 5 — 



22,* Pyrrhnlopsis tabuensis koroensis. 



Aprosmictus anna Cfinx. U. S. Exp. 1858, 236 (Fiji Is.). — Platycercus anna OVay, List. Psitt. 

 1859, 11 (Fiji). — Platycercus tabuensis Janl. etSelhy, 111. Orn. II pi. LXXIV?; Fiiuch, Pap. 1868 II, 231 

 pt. — Platycercus sp. Lay. Iliis 1876, 143 (Koro). — Platycercus hysginus .Salvin, Ibis 1876, 143 (Koro). 

 Platycercus koroensis Lni/. Ibis 1876, 391 (Koro). — Platycercus annae pt. Fimch, P. Z. S. 1877, 772 

 (^Koro). — Pyrrhulopsis hysginus lichinc. Consp. Psitt. 1882, 68 (Koro). 

 ' Koro, Fiji Is. [Lny.) 



23.* Pyrrhulopsis tabuensis atrogularis. 



Platycercus atrogularis Pale, U. S. Expl. Exp. 1848, 129 pi. 35; Hartl. Wieg. Arch. 1852, 106, 

 132 (Fiji Is.). — Platycercus tabuensis Gouyh, P. Z. S. 1849, 14 'r"; Salvin, Ibis 1876, 143 note (Vanua Levii); 

 Lay. t. c. 143, 390 (Vanua L.); Rchnw. Yogelb. t. XVI f. 1. (Vanua L.j. — ? Aprosmictus atrigularis Bp. 

 Naum. 1856. - Pyrrhulopsis atrigularis Sdat. P. Z. S. 1864, 158 (Ngau); »/. P. Z. S. 1876, 307 (Ngau). 

 — Pyrrhulopsis tabuensis Rchnw. Consp. Psitt. 1882, 67 (Vanua L.). — „Vangha-vangha", Fiji Is. (Peak). 

 • Vaiiua Let'U (Lay.); Nf/au (Rayncr). 

 It was first pointed out by Mr. Layard (Ibis 1876, 143) and Mr. Sclater (P. Z. S. 1876,308) that 

 certain islands of the Fiji Group possessed each a distinct race or subspecies of P. tabuensis Gm., viz; one 

 on the island of Koro with a greater or less abundance of crimson-tipped feather.s on the rump and a 

 small bar of blue, — sometimes absent, — at the back of the neck ; a second on Vanua Levu and Ngau 

 with a much broader blue collar and no crimson on the rump, and a third on Taviuni with neither a blue 

 collar nor crimson on rump. The original Tabuan Parrot of Latham is stated to have come from „Tonga-tabu 

 and other Friendly Islands" (Gen. Syn. I 214), but, according to all recent evidence and the statements of 

 collectors and of the natives, it is found in the Friendly Islands only on Eua, a well-wooded moun- 

 tainous islet lying a little to the south of Tonga-tabu. The natives assert that the birds on this islet are 

 descended from specimens originally brought over from the Fiji Islands which escaped from confinement; and 

 there is every reason to believe that such is the fact. A fair series of specimens in the Hamburg Museum shows 

 that Eua is inhabited by a mixed race combining the characters of the Vanua Levu — Ngau and of the 

 Koro races. The typical P. tabuensis Gm. resembles the Vanua Levu— Ngau, while the single specimen which 

 Forster obtained at Eua corresponds with the Koro Parrot. It has been stated that this specimen of For ster 

 served as type at once for his own P. hysginus, for P. tabuensis Gm. and for P. atropurpureus Shaw 

 (Pelz. Ibis 1873, 30; Schl. Mus. P. B. Rev. Psitt. 37), but Forster was much to accurate a describer to 

 have omitted to mention a broad blue collar, had it been present, and, as to P. atropurpureus, Shaw 

 remarks that Latham had seen his specimen and noted that it was different from P. tabuensis. In fact 

 Forster's P. hysginus appears to mark one extreme and P. tabuensis Gm. the other extreme of 

 variation amongst the Parrots of Eua, as the following series from that island shows: 



Extent of blue collar. Amount of crimson on rump. 



a. (Hamburg Mus.) — Shght trace of blue-tipped feathers . . . Many maroon-tipped feathers. 



b. ( „ „ ) — 2 or 3 feathers Little. 



c. ( „ ., ) — Thin blue collar 2 or 3 feathers. 



d. ( „ „ ) — Small Abundance. 



e. ( „ „ ) — Small . Scarcely any. 



f. ( „ „ ) — Considerable None. 



g. (Bremen Mus.) — Large None. 



h. ( „ „ ) — Very little Much. 



i. (British Mus.) — Considerable None. 



Specimen a, in which the blue at the back of the neck would not be noticed unless it were looked 

 for, corresponds with Forster's P. hysginus, and the fine specimen, g, in the Bremen Museum with P. 

 tabuensis Gm.. a, d and h might be taken for Koro, and f, g and 1 for Vanua Levu or Ngau wpecimens, 

 but the remaining three are more uncertain. As a rule specimens from Eua appear to have a harder- 

 looking, more metallic, underside than those from Fiji. 



It is, however, obviously undesirable to attempt to identify the well-marked races of the Fiji 

 Islands with the descriptions of specimens of this mongrel breed, which should be held apart under its original 

 title P. tabuensis Gm.. P. hysginus Forst., having come from Eua, is a synonym of it. Dr. Reichenow 



