1878.] MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE GENUS PTILOPUS. 567 



of the upper and under surface bright deep green j the wing-quills 

 deep golden green, mesially shaded with black ; the inner webs of 

 the primaries black towards the middle and basal portion of the 

 feather. The three inner secondaries and their corresponding coverts 

 of the larger series only have an oblique oblong blotch of bright 

 golden yellow at their tips, which on the secondaries is confined to 

 the outer web only, the smaller wing- coverts at the bend of the win* 

 adjacent to the scapulars having a roundish, crescentic or cordate 

 spot of white (?) near the tips of the feathers ; some show a green 

 shaft-line and a margin of green round the tip of the feather ; under 

 wing-coverts green ; the outer series ashy ; under surface of the wings 

 ashy brown ; under surface of the tail ashy brown, becoming lighter 

 towards the base, and crossed conspicuously near the tip with a band 

 of light ashy grey ; upper surface green, the grey band not so con- 

 spicuous ; the inner portion of the legs and lower part of the abdo- 

 men yellowish (much faded); under tail-coverts yellow, blotched 

 with oblong marks of green on inner webs; the thighs, outer 

 feathered portion of the legs, and the flanks bright green, like the 

 rest of the body ; tail of 14 feathers, square, even ; of the wings, the 

 third, fourth, and fifth feathers are nearly equal and longest ; bill, 

 legs, and feet bluish lead-colour ; tarsi not feathered to the toes, 

 lower portion scaled in front. Total length 9"5 inches, wing 6-3, 

 tail 3 ; bill from forehead 0-8, from gape 1 ; tarsus -95." 



59. Ptilopus layardi. 



Chrysamas viridis, Layard, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1875, pp. 151, 437; 

 Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1877, p. 736. 



Native name Sokulu (Layard). 



Hob. Kandavu, Fiji Islands. 



This apparently very distinct Pigeon was described by Layard 

 (I. c.) from specimens obtained by himself at Kandavu. He at first 

 identified it, as he tells us, with P. luteovirens, but afterwards, having 

 obtained it in the full breeding-dress, saw that his first impression 

 was an erroneous one, and then conferred upon the species the 

 name of viridis. Several specimens of this pretty Dove are in the 

 collection of the 'Challenger' Expedition, which, through the. 

 kindness of my friend Dr. Sclater, I have had the opportunity of 

 examining. They are all in the adult dress, with greenish-yellow 

 head, and entirely green body relieved only by the yellow of the 

 under tail-coverts. The feathers of the back are slightly inclined to the 

 lanceolate form of those of P. luteovirens; but the two species cannot 

 well be confounded together. As I do not consider that the birds 

 included in the term C/iryscenas possess any characters that should 

 properly separate them generically from Ptilopus, it will be impos- 

 sible to retain the name of viridis given to this species by Mr. Layard, 

 as there is already, unfortunately, a species of this group so named, 

 described originally by Linnaeus. I have therefore substituted the 

 name layardi, in justice to my friend, who has, in his researches 

 among the birds of the Fiji Islands, exhibited the same energy and 



