Birds from the Marquesas Islands. 251 



3. PoMAREA NIGRA (Sparriii.). 



Of this there are three specimens, all in distinct states of 

 plumage : — one male, uniform jet-black ; two female, black, 

 with snow-white tail, and remiges and secondaries pure white, 

 with brownish black tips to the former j and one younger 

 bird, with the upper surface and tail umber-brown, the throat 

 and breast lighter, and the abdomen and inner webs of the 

 secondaries whitish buff. 



4. Ptilopus dupetithouarsi (Neboux). 



Of this, the only Pigeon in the collection, there are two 

 specimens, neither of them in very good plumage. 



5. Charadrius fulvus, Gm. 

 Two specimens in winter plumage. 



6. Ardea sacra, Gm. 



Two specimens, both in pure black plumage. 



-+- 7. NuMENius FEMoRALis, Pealc. 



There is one fine specimen of this bird, showing very con- 

 spicuously the long fine hairs terminating the tibial feathers, 

 some of them more than an inch long, from which Peale first 

 named it. I cannot help thinking that the Numenius tahi- 

 tiensis of Gmelin is identical. No type specimen can be 

 traced ; indeed 1 cannot find that a specimen claiming to 

 be A^. tahitiensis exists in any museum. The peculiar termi- 

 nation of the tibial plumes probably escaped the notice of the 

 early writers ; but their description of the plumage, and espe- 

 cially the chestnut rump, well agrees with Peale's bird. Tt 

 has not hitherto been reported from the Marquesas ; and we 

 should hardly expect to find a distinct species of a bird 

 of such powers of flight in an island intervening between 

 the Marquesas and the Low Islands, whence the type of N. 

 femoralis was originally described. 



-— 8. TOTANUS INCANUS (Gm.) . 



Two specimens, one in winter plumage, the other rapidly 

 assuming the breeding-dress. 



- 9. Gygis CANDIDA, Forst. 

 One specimen. 



