Avifauna of the Fiji Islands. 291 



The plumage was found to harbour several hippoboscid 

 flies. 



[ ? adult. Aug. 14, 1910. Suva, Vitilevu. 



This specimen is in worn plumage and is not in moult. 

 The pure white under wing-coverts, breast, and belly are 

 flecked. Wing 27 cm., tarsus 5G mm. — C. B. T.] 



Pyrrhulopsis splendens (Peale). 



" Kaka^'' of the natives (a name applied to other species 

 as well). 



This species now appears to be found most commonly on 

 the island of Kandavu, whence it is brought as a cage-bird 

 to Suva for sale. Until a few years ago the Samoans were 

 in the habit of making an annual pilgrimage to the island 

 in order to shoot this bird and the '' Kula '^ (^CalUpidus 

 solitarius) for the breast-plumes, with which they adorn 

 their mats. 



The late Governor, Sir Everard im Thurn, K.C.M.G., 

 fortunately put an end to this practice. On the island 

 of Vitilevu this species has become very scarce. In the 

 vicinity of Suva I saw but one solitary bird, which stayed 

 in our grounds for some time after the hurricane of 

 March 24th. In the interior of Vitilevu I saw a few in the 

 higher parts, but they were very wild. It is said that it 

 was once so numerous that when maize was grown in Fiji, 

 some thirty years ago, small boys with rattles had to be 

 constantly employed to scare it from the crops. 



I obtained three nestlings from Kandavu, which were 

 successfully transported alive to England. According to 

 the natives, it nests on the tops of bamboo-clumps. In 

 plumage the young resembled the adult, but the colours 

 were much duller and the wings and tail shorter, as in 

 P. taviunensis. The colour of the iris was dark brown, 

 a colour which changed to bright yellow when the birds 

 were about six months old. 



Pyrrhulopsis tabuensis (Gmel.). 



This handsome form of P. splendens is said to exist only 

 in Vanualevu, but in numbers greatly diminished by the 



