78 USEFUL PLANTS OF GUAM. 



BIRDS. '^ 



Land birds. — The most beautiful bird on the i.sland i.s the rose- 

 crowned fruit dove {Ptilopiis roseicaj^Ulus Less.), called "tot-tot" 

 bv the natives, and closelv resemblingf the " nianu-tangi " of Samoa 

 {P. fdftcldfas! Poalo). The g"enoral color of its plumage is green. Its 

 head is capped with rosc-purplo and the lower surface is ^^ellow and 

 orange, with some purple on the ])rcast. The sexes are similar. When 

 it utters its mournful sobbing note it presses its bill against its breast 

 and swells the back of its neck. Birds which were kept hj the author 

 in captivity would freiiuentlv cry out in the middle of the night. 

 Their favorite food was the fruit of the ilangilang {Ccuumgimn odora- 

 tmn)^ Cestrum berries (called "• tintan China"), and orange berries 

 {Trlphasia trifoliata). They also eat the plum-like fruit oi Xinienia 

 americana^ called "pi'od" by the natives. 



Another fruit dove is Phlegoenas wanthonnra (Tenmi.), the female of 

 which is smaller than the male and is of a uniform reddish-brown 

 color, while the male has a white throat and olive-green reflections on 

 its breast. Another dove, which was probably introduced from the 

 Philippines, is TuHut dussumieri (Tennn.). It is quite common in the 

 open stretches of the mesa and is called " paluman-halomtano,"' or 

 "wild pigeon," by the natives. It is a graceful, dove-colored bird 

 resembling the common turtle dove, to wdiich it is closelv allied. 

 Another introduced bird is the beautiful little pigmy quail [Ercal- 

 factoria shuns/.'i Gm.), called bengbeng" by the natives, from the 

 peculiar whirring noise it makes in flying. This little bird, which is 

 only 5 inches long, is remarkable for the large size of its eggs. They 

 are of a brownish color, sprinkled with deeper brownish dots, broadly 

 ovate in form, and 1 inch through in their greatest diameter. 



The most remarkable l)ird of the Mariannes is a megapode {Jfegapo- 

 dius laperous'i Quoy & Gaimard), which is called " sasengat," or " polio 

 del monte." It is closel}^ allied to if not identical with a megapode 

 found in the Pelew Islands, and is of the same genus as the jungle- 

 fowl or mound-builder of Australia {^Lgcqjodhis tnriudus). In the 

 Marianne Islands the natives attract it by knocking stones together. 

 These birds are remarkable for the thickness of their legs and the size 

 of their feet. They hav^e a habit of heaping up mounds of earth, 

 deca3'ed leaves, and rubbish in which they lay their eggs. They are 

 of a brownish color wnth grayish head. On the head there is an area 

 of naked skin of a reddish color. The bill and legs are 3^ellow. The 

 birds are about 9 inches long. They fly heavily. They are not known 

 to occur in Guam, but were collected b}' M. Alfred JNlarche in 1887, 

 1888, and 1889 on the islands of Rota, Saipan, Pagan, and Agrigan, 

 belonging to this group. 



" I am indebted to Dr. Cliarles W. Richmond for revisiug the scientific names of 

 the \Ari\ii in the following list. 



