538 MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE GENUS PTILOPTJS. [May 7, 



Adult. Front, crown, and spot at base of lower mandible rich 

 purple, margined on the posterior part with yellow. Back and sides 

 of neck greenish grey. Throat white. Upper part of breast greyish 

 green, the feathers tipped with pearly white. Lower part of breast 

 crossed by a green band, with a large spot of deep purple in the 

 centre ; abdomen orange, with the centre yellowish green ; under 

 tail-coverts bright yellow, becoming rich orange towards their tips. 

 Back and upper tail-coverts bronzy green. Wings like the back ; 

 primaries black on inner webs, green on the outer, edged with yellow, 

 the first one abruptly and greatly attenuated ; secondaries bluish 

 green margined with lemon-yellow. Rectrices pale green on outer 

 webs, smoke-colour on their inner, with a broad terminal band of 

 yellowish white. Bill black, tip yellowish. Total length 8| inches, 

 wing 51, tail 3^, culmen \. (Specimen figured by Bonaparte 

 /. c. in Paris Museum. Lesson's type of this species is also before 

 me; but not being in so good a condition as Bonaparte's specimen, 

 I have preferred not to take my description from it.) 



16. Ptilopus huttoni. 



Piilinopus huttoni, Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1874, p. 92. 



Hab. Island of Rapa or Opara, South Sea. 



I do not know this bird autoptically. It is evidently a very fine 

 and distinct species, differing in many ways from all others of this 

 genus. It is quite large, has the first primary attenuated, and also 

 two thirds of the basal portion of the tarsus feathered. As I 

 have shown, however, in the discussion of the genera in the earlier 

 part of this paper, these two characters are not of any especial im- 

 portance in defining the generic position of the members of the group 

 now under consideration. The following description is taken from 

 that given by Dr. Finsch of the type. 



Adult. Front and crown and spot at base of mandible purplish 

 violet-red ; chin red, but paler than the crown. Red of crown 

 margined narrowly and indistinctly with green. Occiput, neck, 

 throat, and crop ashy grey tinged with green ; feathers on the crop 

 bifurcate, and dull olive-green in the centre. A pale yellowish 

 longitudinal patch below the chin. A large dark purplish-violet 

 patch on the breast ; base of feathers dark olive-green. Sides of 

 breast and flanks dark olive-green. Anal region and back of thighs 

 dirty yellow. Under tail-coverts purplish violet-red like the crown, 

 basal portions yellowish. Upper parts dark olive grass-green. Quills 

 dark green, margined narrowly with yellow, with apical portions 

 having coppery reflections. Shoulder-coverts with a triangular spot 

 of dull lilac. Tail-feathers dark green ; apical margin yellowish 

 white, with coppery reflections in certain lights. Bill horny grey, 

 tip yellowish ; feet pale, apparently yellow ; eye pink. Total length 

 12-20 inches, wing 6-70, tail 4 - 90; bill above 75, at gape 1*15; tarsus 

 1-20; middle toe '95, nail -35. 



