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



a purplish -black spot in the centre. Several examples are before 

 me, including the type of Pt. clementince ; and the species is readily 

 recognizable from all the others of this especial section of the genus 

 Ptilopus. Pt. apicalis, Bon., sometimes referred to this species, 

 is quite distinct. I place with a doubt, among the synonyms given 

 above, the Ptilinopus fasciatus figured in the Journal of the Museum 

 Godeffroy (/. c.) ; for the colouring of the figure is so defective that 

 it is impossible to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion as to what 

 species is meant. The purplish-black mark on the abdomen is 

 apparently omitted. If the specimen does not possess this, it cannot 

 be the Pt. fasciatus, and is probably Pt. apicalis, Bon. An ex- 

 amination of the bird itself could alone decide the matter. 



Dr. Finsch, in a late number of these 'Proceedings' (1877, p. 779), 

 described a Ptilopus from the island of Ponape from specimens sent 

 to the Museum Godeffroy by Mr. Kubary, as distinct under the 

 name of Pt. ponapensis. Not being able to make out by the descrip- 

 tion wherein this bird differed from the Pt. fasciatus, Peale, I wrote 

 to Dr. Finsch asking if it was not possible to have the type sent to 

 me. On his making the request to the Directors of the Museum 

 Godeffroy, they most kindly forwarded me three specimens, among 

 which was the type of the description published in this Journal. 

 I compared it with the examples in the Paris Museum ; and, as I 

 supposed it would be, the species is the same as Pt. fasciatus, 

 Peale, being identical with those birds in the Paris Museum called 

 clementince by Hombron and Jacquinot, and procured by them in 

 the Voyage au Pole Sud, and which do not differ specifically from 

 the Pt. fasciatus, Peale. The Pt. ponapensis will therefore have to 

 become a synonym of the present species. 



Adult. Top of head and forehead bright purple, margined with 

 pale yellow. Back and sides of neck, cheeks, upper part of back, 

 throat, and breast pale yellowish green inclining to ash colour. Flanks 

 and abdomen grass-green, with a purplish-black spot in the centre 

 of the abdomen. Back and upper tail-coverts bronzy green. 

 Primaries and secondaries black on inner webs ; outer bright green, 

 edged with yellow on the secondaries ; first primary abruptly and 

 greatly attenuated. Some of the innermost secondaries and tertials 

 have a pale violet mark near their tips. Tail bright green, with the 

 terminal fourth bright yellow. Crissum and under tail-coverts 

 orange-yellow. Bill black, tip yellowish. Feet brown. Total 

 length 8f inches, wing 5^, tail 3|, culmen f . (From Hombr. & Jacq. 

 specimen in Paris Museum.) 



14. Ptilopus mercieri. 



Kurukuru mercieri, Des Murs & Prev. Voy. Venus, Ornith. p. 

 266 (1855). 



Ptilopus mercieri, Bon. Compt. Rend. torn. xl. (1855) p. 216 ; 

 id. Econog. Pig. pi. xxii. fig. 2 (1857) ; id. Consp. Gen. Av. vol. ii. 

 (1857) p. 22. sp. 8. 



Ptilinopus mercieri, Finsch & Hartl. Faun. Centralpolyn. (1867) 

 p. 128; Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1877, p. 410. 



