﻿Aruba, 
  Curasao, 
  and 
  Bonaire. 
  333 
  

  

  My 
  friend 
  Hans 
  von 
  Berlepsch 
  has 
  called 
  my 
  attention 
  to 
  

   the 
  original 
  description 
  of 
  Jacquin's 
  Columba 
  corensis 
  (Beytr. 
  

   z. 
  Gescbichte 
  d. 
  Vogel, 
  1784, 
  p. 
  31). 
  The 
  author 
  there 
  says, 
  

   " 
  Columba 
  {corensis) 
  cauda 
  aquali, 
  orbitis 
  denudatis 
  atro- 
  

   punctatis, 
  corpore 
  griseo." 
  

  

  " 
  Near 
  Koro, 
  in 
  Venezuela, 
  occurs 
  a 
  fine 
  Pigeon, 
  which 
  

   agrees 
  in 
  size 
  with 
  the 
  common 
  domesticated 
  Pigeon. 
  It 
  

   is 
  entirely 
  of 
  a 
  beautiful 
  grey 
  colour, 
  and 
  the 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  

   hind 
  neck 
  are 
  scale-like, 
  which, 
  although 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  colour 
  

   as 
  the 
  others, 
  appear 
  different 
  in 
  different 
  lights. 
  The 
  red 
  

   eyes 
  stand 
  in 
  a 
  bare 
  space, 
  which 
  is 
  beset 
  with 
  black 
  spots. 
  

   The 
  feet 
  are 
  red. 
  The 
  Indians 
  take 
  the 
  young 
  from 
  their 
  

   nests, 
  feed 
  them 
  up, 
  and 
  eat 
  them." 
  [Translated 
  from 
  the 
  

   German.) 
  Gmeliu's 
  diagnosis 
  is 
  merely 
  based 
  on 
  Jacquin^s 
  

   description, 
  and 
  I 
  quite 
  agree 
  with 
  Berlepsch 
  that 
  the 
  

   description 
  is 
  so 
  uncertain 
  — 
  the 
  more 
  so 
  when 
  considering 
  

   that 
  the 
  West-Indian 
  Columba 
  corensis 
  of 
  recent 
  authors 
  

   has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  continent 
  — 
  that 
  the 
  name 
  

   of 
  Temminck, 
  who 
  gives 
  a 
  good 
  figure 
  and 
  description 
  of 
  it, 
  

   should 
  stand 
  for 
  this 
  species. 
  I 
  am 
  very 
  glad 
  to 
  learn 
  that 
  

   Count 
  Salvadori 
  agrees 
  with 
  us 
  in 
  this 
  conclusion. 
  

  

  Examples 
  from 
  Bonaire 
  are 
  absolutely 
  identical 
  with 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  from 
  Cuba. 
  

  

  I 
  met 
  with 
  this 
  Pigeon 
  only 
  among 
  the 
  rocks 
  on 
  Bonaire, 
  

   where 
  it 
  is 
  fairly 
  common 
  near 
  Fontein. 
  

  

  Its 
  note 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  loud 
  and 
  strong 
  cooing, 
  consisting 
  of 
  

   three 
  sounds, 
  somewhat 
  like 
  coo-roo-coo, 
  and 
  repeated 
  very 
  

   frequently. 
  

  

  I 
  did 
  not 
  see 
  this 
  Pigeon 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  

   get 
  most 
  of 
  its 
  food 
  from 
  the 
  trees. 
  

  

  The 
  bill 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  dark 
  blood 
  -red 
  colour, 
  horn- 
  white 
  at 
  the 
  

   tip. 
  The 
  iris 
  consists 
  of 
  two 
  rings, 
  the 
  outer 
  one 
  crimson, 
  

   the 
  inner 
  one 
  yellow. 
  The 
  naked 
  papillose 
  space 
  round 
  the 
  

   eye 
  is 
  yellow, 
  not 
  red. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  Pigeon 
  on 
  the 
  Christoffel 
  in 
  Curac^ao, 
  

   of 
  which 
  neither 
  Herr 
  Peters 
  nor 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  get 
  

   specimens. 
  It 
  is 
  called 
  " 
  Paloma 
  preto" 
  which 
  means 
  

   " 
  Black 
  Pigeon." 
  A 
  native 
  of 
  Cura9ao 
  told 
  me 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  

  

  