TOWNSKM) AM) \Vl IMoUK: I UK HIKDS. Ki.'l 



fn>jn earn iii^ out hi>> iiitnitioii l>y prt-ss «»f other work. In coiiipli-titiK 

 tlir itlrntififutictn of tln-sr s|»«><iiiifiis lie iM-riiiittcd the use of manu- 

 script notes, nuidc durin;; liis preliniinary ••xauiination, that have 

 provj^l of inueh vahie. 



Much (liHieulty has l»een encountered in identifv in^' the suhspecifid 

 forms in man.\ sjxH-ies (hseussed in (he followinj^ pa);es through hu-k of 

 sufficient material for comj)aris<)n. These cases have heen treated 

 with as much care and attcHiion ais practicable, hut in some instances 

 it hius been impossible to assii;n anything more than a sptn-ific name. 

 In sucli ct)mparisons the early collections of Titian It. I'eale, made 

 durinj: the V. S. FAplorinj; Kxpeclition of lS.iS-lS4'J, ha\e been of 

 jireat value. The importance of the birds in Peale's collections from 

 an historical standpoint is not to be over-estimated, especially as a 

 large part of the orij^inal type-sptx-imens upon which Peale based his 

 names of new species have been available for study. This collection 

 wjis formerly moimted, but now all of the birds ha\e been taken down 

 and remade and are kept as study skins. 



The treatment of the fruit pigeons of the genus Ptilopus in the 

 pre^ent paper is highly unsatisfactor\\ The entire group of these 

 pigtH)ns is badly in need of revision, l)Ut in the present ca-^e this was 

 impracticable because of a lack of sufficient material from many 

 localities. Little attempt has been made here to accord the species 

 any other treatment than that given them by Count Salvadori in the 

 twenty first vohnne of the British Museum Catalogue of Birds, but 

 it is believed that a number of new forms may be described eventually 

 from the specimens listed herein. Adflitional collections from other 

 islands are needed, however, before these may be diagnosed properly. 



A series of 10.') skins, forty-seven species or subspecies, from the 

 specimens collected during the Alb.\tross expedition, has been placed 

 in the M. C. Z. The remaining specimens, including the types of 

 forms described here as new, are in the collections of the U. S. N. M. 



In the following pages is given an annotated list of the species and 

 subspecies identified, with descriptions of such forms as appear to be 

 new. All measurements are given in millimeters. 



