Columbidse of the Ethiopian Region. 283 



back and sides of the neck of lanceolate blackish-brown fea- 

 thers, with paler ashy-brown ends, these ends often partially 

 edged with buff; the lower back is slightly paler and more 

 ashy than the wings ; the tail is uniform ; the quills with 

 very partial pale narrow edges ; the underparts very slightly 

 paler than the wings and tail, and often have the edges of 

 the feathers slightly washed with rufous, and occasionally the 

 chest is faintly spotted with buif; iris pale brown; bill yel- 

 low, shaded towards the base with dusky olive ; legs olive, 

 shaded yellow. Total length 13"8 inches, ciilmen 0*85, wing 

 8*9, tail 6"3, tarsus 1. 



Hab. Comoro Islands. 



This Pigeon has, as yet, only been obtained in the islands 

 of Mayotte and Anjuan, where it appears to be rare. On the 

 island of Mayotte it is known to the French colonists as 

 " Pigeon voyageur j'^ and being a bird well constructed for 

 powerful flight, I think it probably has a wider range than 

 has at present been ascertained. Its nearest ally appears to 

 me to be P. arquatrix from the mainland. My description 

 is taken from two specimens collected for me by Sir John 

 Kirk in Anjuan; in one of these the chest is faintly spotted 

 with buff, a sign, I presume, of immaturity. 



According to Mr. E. Newton, this species has the " beak 

 and feet yellow, iris yellow.^' This probably applies to the 

 very fully adult, and the " iris brun clair " of Schl. & Poll, 

 to the rather less adult bird. 



9. Palumbus arquatrix. j(j^. 



Le Rameron, Levaill. Ois. d'Afr. vi. 1808, p. 67, pi. 264 

 (good) . 



Columba arquatrix, Temm. & Knip, Pig. i. 1808-38, p. 11, 

 pi. 5 (not good) ; Temm. Hist. Pig. et Gall. 1813, pp. 93, 447 ; 

 Rupp. N. W. 1835-1840, p. 67, Abyssinia ; id. Syst. Uebers. 

 1845, p. 100, Abyssinia ; Gurney, Ibis, 1860, p. 213, Natal; 

 Monteiro, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 18, Benguela ; Layard, B. S. Afr. 

 1867, p. 257, Knysua and Capetown ; Heugl. Orn. N.O.- Afr. 

 1871-1875, p. 825, App. p. 169; Ayres, Ibis, 1880, p. 109, 

 Transvaal; Bocage, Orn, Angola, 1881, p. 382. 



SBR. V. VOL. I. X 



