782 DR. O. FINSCH ON BIRDS FROM NIUAFOU ISLAND. [NoV. 20, 



did not show any grey tinge on the sides of tlie head. Gf. P. Z. S. 

 1872, p. 114. 



27. Gygis alba (Sparrm.); Finsch, /. c. p. 40. 

 Recorded by Von Kittlitz as seen by him near Ponap^. 



28. PuFFiNus oBscuRUs (Gm.) ; Finsch, I. c. p. 40. 

 Already sent by Mr. Kubary. 



29. Phaeton candidus, Briss. 



Two males and one female ; the sexes exactly alike ; one male 

 is tinged with very delic.ite rose-colour. 



The island of Ponape is a new locality for this widely distributed 

 species. 



4. On a Collection of Birds from Niuafou Island, in the 

 Pacific. By Dr. Otto Finsch, C.M.Z.S., Director of 

 the Museum of Natural History of Bremen. 



[Eeceived September 26, 1877.] 



The island Niuafou (Nina-fou, Niua-fu, Niu-Afohu, Onuafu, Niufo, 

 Nua-fou, or Hope or Proby Island of tlie older maps), situated in lat. 

 18° o8' S. and long, 174° 55' W., halfway between the Navigators' 

 and Viti groups, may be considered, although somewhat distant, as 

 the most northern island of the Tonga or Friendly group. It was 

 visited in 1 866 by Dr. Graffe ; but bis investigation as regards 

 ornithology did not much increase our knowledge, as he only informed 

 us of the occurrence of one bird on it, a Megapode already mentioned 

 by Dr. G. Bennett (P. Z. S. 1862, p. 247), and described afterwards 

 by the late G. R. Gray as M. pritchardi (P. Z.S. 1864, p. 41). 

 I was therefore pleased to receive, through the Museum Godeft'roy 

 of Hamburg, an extensive collection of birds from this interesting 

 island, made by Mr. F. Hiibner, a young German collector recently 

 engaged, for the exploration of the Pacific Islands, by Mr. Godeffroy. 



This collection raises the number of the known birds of this island 

 from one one to fifteen ; but I am able to include from Mr. Hiibner's 

 manuscript notes, kindly sent to me by Mr. Schmeltz, five species 

 more, and make the total twenty species. It is worthy of remark 

 that, according to Mr. Hiibner's notes, no members of the genera 

 Ptilotis, Lalaffe, Halcyon, or Colluricincla, so well known to him 

 on the Tonga Islands, occur on Niuafou. But it seems probable that 

 further investigations will still add some more species, as the absence 

 of peculiar species (except Megapodius stairi, which does not occur 

 in Samoa and is confined to this island) is rather strange. 



1. Strix delicatula, Gould. 



Native name Lulu, Iliibner, 



One female ; agrees in every respect with that from Eua. 



