1878.] MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE GENUS PTILOPUS. 527 



the present species with a doubt l . Desmarest also published a 

 name (I.e.) for the bird depicted on Temminck's plate, viz. forsteri. 

 This, for the same reason which has placed Temminck's name on 

 one side, will also have to go among the list of doubtful synonyms. 

 We now come to Wagler, * Isis,' 1829, who first diagnosed as distinct 

 both species, from Otaheite and Tonga-Tabou respectively, and gave 

 names to each, and properly portrayed their distinctive characters. 

 To the Tonga bird with the purple crown he applied the term 

 purpurata, which name will take precedence ; and the Otaheite 

 species he called oopa. Unfortunately he did not appear to be 

 cognizant of the name taitensis previously given to this species by 

 Lesson, Voy. Coq. torn. i. text, p. 297 (1826); and therefore oopa 

 will of course become a synonym of Lesson's term. 



Mr. Layard speaks of this species under the name of porphyraceus, 

 Forst., as not uncommon in the Friendly Islands. In its habits it 

 resembles the other species of this genus, and is called by the natives 

 " Kullu kullu." The female, when in full breeding-dress, resembles 

 the male, but is not so brightly coloured on the abdomen, the male 

 at this season having the black abdominal patch shading away into 

 brilliant purple. 



Adult. Front and top of head, extending in a curved line behind 

 the eyes, rich purple, edged with light yellow. Rest of head, neck, 

 upper part of back, throat, and breast pale ashy green. Flanks and 

 abdomen grass-green, with a dark purple spot in the centre of 

 abdomen. Crissum and under tail-coverts bright yellow, tinged 

 with orange on the tips of the coverts. Back and upper tail-coverts 

 dark yellowish green. Wings the same colour, with the inner 

 secondaries and some of the scapulars deep bluish green near their 

 tips. Primaries black on their inner webs, green on their outer, 

 and, together with the secondaries, margined with yellow; first 

 primary abruptly attenuated and very narrow at the end. Rectrices 

 bright green on their outer webs, brownish black on their inner, with 

 a terminal grey or ash-coloured band, this margined with yellow. 

 Under surface smoke-colour, terminal portion white. Bill black, tip 

 flesh- colour. Feet brownish. Total length 8 J inches ; wing 5| ; 

 tail 3f ; bill, culmen £. 



Young. Resembles the adult, except that the top of the head is 

 ashy like the breast, with only a tinge of purple on the forehead. 

 The back of the neck is pale green, instead of ash-colour ; and the 

 plumage of the upper part, tail, and wings is bronzy. 



5. Ptilopus apicalis. 



Lamprotreron apicalis, Bon. Compt. Rend. vol. xxxix. p. 877 

 (1854). 



Ptilinopus apicalis, Bon. Consp. Gen. Av. vol. ii. (1857) p. 23 ; 

 Finsch & Hartl. Centralpolyn. (1867) p. 121. 



Ptilonopus apicalis, Reich. Tauben, p. 97. 



Hab. Samoa, Vavao (Bonaparte). 



This species, described by Bonaparte (I. c), while resembling in 



1 See further remarks upon this plate 35 in the article on PL coralensis. 



