Avifauna of the Fiji Islands. 307 



and told me that lie considered they were Megapodes of the 

 same or of an allied species to those met ^rith in the island of 

 Niuafou (Boscawen Island) and in Samoa. Some natives 

 likened ihem to Guinea-fowl, but said they were not so 

 large as the latter^ and that they laid a single egg. 

 Between the years 1876 and 1905 they were still compara- 

 tively common and well known in the locality mentioned 

 (where thei'c are only a very few Europeans).^' 



Gallus BANKivA (Tcmm.). 



According to Layard the wild Jungle-fowl of Fiji, 

 the familiar crow of which is such a characteristic feature in 

 these palm-clad islands, was introduced by Captain Cook. 

 Dr. Coniey, on the other hand, thinks that fowls existed in 

 Fiji long before the coming of Captain Cook. It is pointed 

 out that on the advent of the missionaries wild fowls were 

 found in every island of the group. The bird is called 

 "Toa'' by the natives, and according to Dr. Corney "^ a small 

 variety existed in Tahiti when the first ship (H.M.S. 

 'Dolphin') discovered it in 1766. The story that Quiros 

 discovered Tahiti in 1606 is a gross error, but is repeated 

 in most encyclopsedias and similar works. •'^ If the fowl had 

 been introduced into Tahiti in 1766, it is most likely that it 

 would have reached Fiji at some earlier period. Moreover, 

 there is no evidence that Cook did more than touch at the 

 island of Vatoa, the south-easterly limit of the Fiji group. 

 The introduction of the Mongoose scaled the fate of the 

 Jungle-fowl in Vitilevu. On the .small islands off the coast of 

 Vitilevu it is abundant, especially on Bequaa and Mokagai, 

 whence I was presented with a pair of these birds. Though 

 much harassed by the Mongoose we managed to keep them 

 alive for a year and several young were raised. The 

 male, a typical Jungle- cock in appearance, became very 

 familiar, and with difficulty could be kept out of the bed- 

 rooms. 



OnTaviuni these birds are still abundant ; the planters are 

 in the habit of shooting them with a rifle, using a tame fowl, 

 which is trained to crow, as a lure. 



