Birds of the Bonin Islands. 103 



specimen, it is probable that the difference is due to abrasion. 

 Mr. Hoist did not procure this bird on the Bonin Islands, 

 though he saw a Pigeon on Peel Island and obtained its eggs, 

 but he has sent an example from Hatchinow-Shima (Fatsizio 

 Island), which does not differ from Japanese specimens. 



Carpophaga versicolor. 



The Bonin Fruit Pigeon was discovered on one of the 

 Bonin group of islands in 1827 by Captain Beechey during 

 the voyage of the ' Blossom/ and was named Columba metal- 

 lica (Vigors, Zool. Captain Beechey's Voyage, p. 25). In 

 consequence of most unreasonable delay in the completion 

 of the part relating to the Mollusca the results of the voyage 

 were not published until 1839. In the meantime two events 

 happened which made the use of this name impossible. In 

 1828 F. H. von Kittlitz spent a fortnight on the Bonin 

 Islands and also discovered the Fruit Pigeon which is pecu- 

 liar to them, and described and figured it in 1832 under the 

 name of Columba versicolor (Kittlitz, Kupfertafeln zur Na- 

 turgeschichte der Vogel, p. 5, pi. v. fig. 2). Not only was 

 Vigors's name thus antedated by that of Kittlitz in conse- 

 quence of the provoking delay, but it was otherwise, and, 

 so far as appears, quite independently applied to another 

 species of Fruit Pigeon from the Island of Timor (Temminck, 

 Planches Coloriees, no. 562) in 1835. In the same year 

 the Bonin species was named Columba kittlitzii (Temminck, 

 Planches Coloriees, page following text to no. 578). 



Kittlitz's type of this handsome bird is in the St. Peters- 

 burg Museum, and there is a duplicate in the Senckenberg 

 Museum in Frankfort, but VigoiVs type appears to have 

 been lost. Mr. Hoist has obtained for me a male from 

 Nakondo-Shima, one of the Parry Group of the Bonin 

 Islands. It is dated the 15th of September, and is moult- 

 ing both its primaries and its rectrices. The soft parts are 

 described as follows : — " Bill greenish yellow ; tarsi dark red ; 

 irides dark blue." 



Carpophaga versicolor can never be confused with its 

 Japanese ally. It is a much larger and much paler bird, 



