Avifauna of the Fiji Islands. 311 



PhLEGCENAS STAIRI VITIENSIS Wigl . 



Plikgoenas stairi (Gray). 



Fijian " Soge loa.'^ 



A pair of these birds was seen once only. They settled 

 in some trees near my house soon al'ter the hurricane in 

 March 1910. 



HyPOT^NIDIA PHILIPPINENSIS LiuU. 



Rallus pedoralis (Less.). 



Two s}3ecimens only of this species were seen in a man- 

 grove-swamp at Loma Loma in the island of Vanua Vua. 

 They were extremely wary, and I was unable to obtain a 

 specimen. 



Of the Rails I doubt whether any remain alive in Vitilevu 

 at the present day. I was told by residents that since the 

 introduction of the Mongoose all these birds had vanished. 

 Some European residents evenremembin' having taken their 

 eggs and nests ten or fifteen years ago at the mouths of the 

 various creeks, when Rail and Duck shooting used to consti- 

 tute one of their main diversions. 



Ivayard tabulates three species as having been found in 

 Vitilevu, namely, the species just mentioned, EuJabeornis 

 pcecilopterus (Hartl.), and Porzana plumhea (Gray) \_Ortygo- 

 metra tahuensis (Gmel.)]. Of these the second was peculiar 

 to Vitilevu, and is probably now extinct. The Fijian name 

 for the Rails is " Bici." 



PORPHYRIO VITIENSIS Pcalc. 



Porphyrio samoensis Peale. 



Porphyrio smaragdinus Temm. 



Fijian '' Tere." 



In Vitilevu this species has probably shared the same fate 

 as the Rails. 



Only one specimen was seen in Taviuni, where, however, 

 it is said to be still common. 



Ciiaradrius ruLvus Gmel. 



The Eastern Golden Plover was met with in large flocks, 

 evidently composed of migratory birds, on the upland pastures 



