524 MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE GENUS PTILOPUS. [May 7, 



Another specimen from New Caledonia, marked as a female, 

 differs from the male only in having the forehead slightly tinged 

 with rose, and the abdomen mottled with rose and bright yellow. 

 The under tail- coverts are deep rose on their apical half, as in the 

 specimen from Vanikoro. The secondaries are more broadly mar- 

 gined with yellow, and the primaries tipped with white. I am 

 inclined to regard this example rather as an immature male than a 

 female. Three examples are in the British Museum from Erro- 

 mango Island, one of the New Hebrides, which are in all respects 

 like the one in the Paris Museum figured by Bonaparte from 

 New Caledonia. 



2. Ptilopus neglectus. 



Ptilopus neglectus, Schleg. Mus. Pays-Bas (1873), p. 7, Columbce. 



Bab. Oceanie! Vitil (Schlegel). 



Allied to the Pt. greyi, but differs in having the lower part of the 

 abdomen and under tail-coverts tinged with sulphur, the abdomen 

 and breast washed with olive-green, the purplish-red spot being 

 placed upon the breast and not on the abdomen, and in the neck 

 and upper part of breast being tinged with light grey (Schlegel). 

 Wing 5 inches, tail 2 inches 3 lines. 



The locality suggested by Schlegel, as given above, "Viti," is 

 without doubt incorrect, as there are no indications to support the 

 idea, the relatives of this bird having been procured in quite a 

 different group of islands. 



3. Ptilopus bonapartei. 



Ptilopus purpuratus, Bon. (uec auct.) Iconogr. Pig. (1857) pi. xix. 

 fig. a, adult, ex Balaou (nee Vanikoro). 



Ptilopus bonapartei, Gray, Hand-1. B. vol. ii. (1870) p. 225, 

 descr. nulla, founded on pi. 19, Bon. Iconog. Pig. 



Ilab. Balaou, Fiji Islands (Bombron and Jacquinot) . 



This is the species figured by Bonaparte as Pt. purpuratus, fig. a 

 (I. c). The specimen is in the Paris collection ; and the plate gives 

 no idea of the bird ; which is reddish in all lights, but in certain ones 

 exhibits a brilliant coppery-red hue. Bonaparte committed two 

 strange errors in reference to this bird. He stated that it came 

 from the island of Vanikoro, and also figured as the young the Pt. 

 purpuratus, Wagl., from Tonga-Tabou, a very different and distinct 

 species. Gray (I. c.) bestowed the name of Pt. bonapartei (I. c), ex 

 Vanikoro !, on the bird represented by Bonaparte on plate 1 9 of his 

 work, ' Iconographie des Pigeons.' Gray could never have seen 

 the specimen ; or else he would have corrected Bonaparte's error, and 

 stated that it did not come from Vanikoro, but from Balaou, and also 

 that Bonaparte had confounded two species. Gray gives no de- 

 scription, which also strengthens the belief that he did not know the 

 species autoptically. It is a question whether Gray's name should 

 be noticed at all ; for to name species without seeing them, on the 

 chance of their proving new, is not a commendable practice ; and, as 

 he did not designate which figure he bestowed the name of bona- 



