NO. 15 BIRDS OF THE PACIFIC WAR AREA — BAKER 59 



and examined within i hour after death, had feet colored "Russian 

 blue," webs white, basal part of bill to nares "soft blue-violet," termi- 

 nal part of bill black, iris black, feathers white, and skin black. These 

 color notes were made by David H. Johnson. 



PTILINOPUS ROSEICAPILLUS (Lesson) 



Cohimba roscicapilla Lesson, Traite d'Orn., livr. 6, 1831, p. 472. (iles Mari- 

 annes.) 



Guam Island : Ritidian Point — i male, August i ; Tarague — i 

 male, i female, July 18; Haputo Point — i male, August 21 ; Mount 

 Santa Rosa — i male, July 2 ; Pagat Point — 6 males, i female, i 

 nestling, July 6, 10; Amantes Point — 4 males, ]May 25, 27; Oca Point 

 — 2 females, March 8 ; Agana Swamp — i male, i female, June 3 ; 

 Ylig Bay — i male, i female, July 19; Agat — i male, June 12 ; Talofofo 

 Bay — I male, June 14. Rota Island: Sosan Isthmus — i male, No- 

 vember 2; Poniya Point — i male, October 28; Sabaanaa — i male, 

 October 31. 



The similarity between this species and birds of the Pfilinopus 

 regina group of the Australian area is striking. This has been indi- 

 cated by Ripley and Birckhead (Amer. Mus. Novit., No. 1192, 1942, 

 p, 3). On the basis of its characters alone the ^lariana birds would 

 merit only subspecific separation, but owing to the great distance be- 

 tween the two doves and the possibility of independent origin and 

 subsequent convergence, it may be more advisable to continue to 

 regard the two as separate species. 



Fruit doves were found in most forested areas. At Guam, the con- 

 struction of installations and air strips removed some of the habitat 

 of this bird, but the population has not been greatly affected. Weights 

 of 14 adult males are 81-103 (90), of 4 adult females 85-99 (92)> 

 and of one nestling in postnatal molt, beginning to fly, 44. Breeding 

 birds were taken in March and July. The birds from Rota have 

 slightly richer coloration on the crown and back than have birds from 

 Guam. 



PTILINOPUS PORPHYRACEUS PONAPENSIS (Finsch) 



Pfilonopus ponapensis Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 779. 

 (Ponape, Caroline Islands.) 



Truk Islands : Moen Island — i male, December 24. 

 McElroy collected one breeding male at Moen Island. He found 

 the birds at high elevations in deep woods. 



