78 USEFUL PLANTS OF GUAM. 



BIRDS. a 



LAND BIRDS. The most beautiful bird on the island is the rose- 

 crowned fruit dove (Ptilopus roseica/pillus Less.), called u tot-tot" 

 by the natives, and closely resembling the " manu-tangi " of Samoa 

 (P. fasciattis Peale). The general color of its plumage is green. Its 

 head is capped with rose-purple and the lower surface is yellow and 

 orange, Avith some purple on the breast. 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 by the author 

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

 Their favorite food was the fruit of the ilangilang (Canangium odora- 

 tum), Oestrum berries (called " tintan China"), and orange berries 

 (Triphasia trifoliata). They also eat the plum-like fruit of Ximenia 

 americana, called "pi'od" b}^ the natives. 



Another fruit dove is Phlegoenas xanthonura (Temm.), 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 Turtur dusswnieri (Temm.). 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 which it is closely allied. 

 Another introduced bird is the beautiful little pigmy quail (Excal- 

 f actor ia sinensis 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 bird of the Mariannes is a megapode (Megapo- 

 dlus laperousl Quoy & Gaimard), which is called " sasengat," or u polio 

 del monte." It is closety 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 (Megapodius tumulus). 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 have a habit of heaping up mounds of earth, 

 decayed leaves, and rubbish in which they lay their eggs. They are 

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

 of naked skin of a reddish color. The bill and legs are yellow. The 

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

 to occur in Guam, but were collected by M. Alfred Marche in 1887, 

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

 belonging to this group. 



I am indebted to Dr. Charles W. Richmond for revising the scientific names of 

 the birds in the following list, 



