770 DU. O. FINSCH ON A COLLECTION OF [NoV. '20, 



2. On a Collection of Birds from Eua, Friendly Islands. 

 Ey Dr. Otto Pinsch, C.M.Z.S., Director of the Museum 

 of Natural History of Bremen. 



[Received Sept. 26, 1877.] 



Tbe Island Eua (Eooa, Eoa, Eaowe or Eaoowe), belonging to the 

 Tonga or Friendly group, situated to the south-east of the main 

 island Tongatabu, is much smaller than the latter, but, instead of 

 being flat, shows a more mountainous appearance, and rises to a 

 height of about GOO feet above the level of the sea. 



When writing our ' Ornithology of Central Polynesia,' ten years 

 ago. Dr. Hartlaub and I were, as regards the birds of the Tonga 

 group, obliged nearly to confine ourselves to what Forster had 

 written on the subject, Tonga birds being at that time of the greatest 

 rarity in collections. The total number of species then known of 

 Tonga birds was 33, of which only four were known from Eua (viz. 

 Platycercus tabuensis, Ptilotis carunculata, Carpophaga pacifica, 

 and Gyyis alba). Since that time we have had the pleasure of 

 publishing a welcome contribution to our knowledge of the Tonga 

 birds, based upon the collections of Dr. Graffe', which reached us 

 through the Museum Godeifroy, of Hamburg, in 1869- A very in- 

 teresting account of the habits of Tonga birds was shortly after 

 published by Dr. Griiife^ himself, which paper may be considered 

 a valuable continuation of our memoirs. Dr. GrafFe noticed, as 

 observed by himself, 26 species (of which 18 were collected by him 

 and examined by us), thus adding 5 species to the avifauna, among 

 which one proved to be new (OoUuricincla heinei, nob.), and 

 raising the total to 38. Since then Mr. E. L. Layard has visited 

 the Tonga group and has published a useful contribution'^, which 

 adds, as observed by him, 7 species more {Limosa uropygialis, Strep- 

 silas interpres, Sterna melanauchen, St. panaya, Anous leucocapillus, 

 Phaeton candidus, and Tachypetes aquila), and raises the total of 

 alleged species to 45. But as some of these occurrences rest on 

 antiquated statements, not yet confirmed, the total number known 

 with certainty from the whole group remains still 37. 



I have now to make a further addition to our knowledge of this 

 avifauna, ilr. F. Hiibner, at the charge of the Museum Godeffroy 

 in Hamburg, has lately again visited the Tongas, and has sent over 

 a collection made on the island of Eua. His exertions have raised 

 the number of birds known to occur on this island from 4 to 24. 



^ Dr. O. Finsch and Dr. G. Hartlaub " On a small Cullectiou of Birds from 

 the Tonga Islands," in P. Z. S. 1869, pp. 5-14-548, and Dr. O. Fiuscli u. Dr. G. 

 Hartlaub '• Zur Ornithologie der Tonga-Insebi," in Cabanis's Journal fiir 

 Ornithologie, 1870, pp. 119-140, Taf. iv. 



^ Dr. Eduard Griitie, " Ormthologiscbe Mittheilungen aus Central-Polynesien. 

 I. Die Vogolwelt dor Tonga-Inseln," in Cabanis's Journal fiii- Ornithologie, 

 1870, pp. 401-420. 



^ E. L. Layard, '■ Notes on the Birds of the Navigators' and Friendly Islands, 

 with some Additions to the Ornithology oi' Fiji," in P. Z. S. 187l>, pp. 490-50G. 



