﻿On 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  the 
  Loo-Choo 
  Islands. 
  47 
  

  

  always 
  feel 
  that 
  the 
  great 
  difficulty 
  in 
  admitting 
  the 
  multiple 
  

   origin 
  of 
  the 
  Ratitse 
  is 
  that 
  if 
  this 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  case 
  there 
  

   would 
  have 
  been 
  far 
  less 
  structural 
  similarity 
  to 
  one 
  another 
  

   among 
  the 
  various 
  groups 
  than 
  we 
  find 
  to 
  prevail. 
  

  

  IV. 
  — 
  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  the 
  Loo-Choo 
  Islands. 
  

   By 
  Henry 
  Seebohm. 
  

  

  My 
  collector, 
  Mr. 
  Hoist, 
  has 
  just 
  returned 
  from 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  

   the 
  Loo-Choo 
  Islands 
  '^ 
  and 
  has 
  sent 
  rae 
  a 
  box 
  of 
  birds, 
  

   amongst 
  which 
  are 
  some 
  specimens 
  of 
  great 
  interest. 
  

  

  The 
  numbers 
  prefixed 
  to 
  the 
  names 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  list 
  

   are 
  those 
  of 
  my 
  book 
  on 
  'The 
  Birds 
  of 
  the 
  Japanese 
  Empire.^ 
  

  

  Except 
  when 
  stated 
  to 
  the 
  contrary, 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  col- 
  

   lected 
  on 
  Okinawa-sima, 
  the 
  largest 
  island 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  

   group 
  of 
  the 
  Loo-Choo 
  Islands. 
  To 
  other 
  localities 
  belong 
  

   only 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  birds 
  obtained 
  during 
  the 
  voyage 
  in 
  the 
  

   northern 
  group, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  skins 
  from 
  Tsu-sima. 
  

  

  7. 
  Merula 
  pallida. 
  

  

  A 
  female 
  shot 
  on 
  the 
  30th 
  of 
  March, 
  probably 
  a 
  winter 
  

   visitor. 
  

  

  8. 
  Merula 
  chrysolaus. 
  

  

  Four 
  examples. 
  They 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  vv^inter 
  visitors, 
  from 
  

   November 
  to 
  May. 
  Great 
  numbers 
  passed 
  through 
  on 
  mi- 
  

   gration 
  during 
  March. 
  The 
  most 
  numerous 
  Thrush 
  on 
  the 
  

   islands. 
  

  

  9. 
  Merula 
  fallens. 
  

   Two 
  examples. 
  

  

  12. 
  ErITHACUS 
  NAIMIYEI. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Hoist 
  has 
  sent 
  two 
  examples 
  of 
  this 
  very 
  distinct 
  

   species, 
  an 
  adult 
  male 
  and 
  an 
  immature 
  male, 
  which, 
  along 
  

   with 
  the 
  adult 
  female 
  in 
  the 
  Pryer 
  collection, 
  make 
  a 
  very 
  

   interesting 
  series. 
  

  

  The 
  adult 
  male 
  is 
  described 
  as 
  having 
  the 
  irides 
  dark 
  

   brown, 
  the 
  bill 
  jet-black, 
  and 
  the 
  legs 
  flesh-coloured. 
  

  

  The 
  immature 
  male 
  resembles 
  the 
  female 
  in 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  

   * 
  See 
  ILis, 
  1892, 
  p. 
  575. 
  

  

  