122 HON. "W. ROTHSCHILD ON THE GENUS CASUARIUS. 



Young (full-orown). Plumage black, mixed with brown feathers. Head and neck 

 deep blue, paler around the ear ; lower hind-neck scarlet. Naked lower sides of neck 

 very bright blue. 



Hob. unknown. 



In addition to the type I have had five others alive, and they all agreed in having 

 the intense blue colour and the entirely blue naked lower sides of the neck ; but this 

 Cassowary remains still a very little-known form, and will do so till its habitat is 

 discovered. The original description is as follows : — 



" a ad. The casque differs from that of C. casuarius in being very high and much 

 more erect ; the wattles almost entirely blue instead of dark red ; the blue of the head 

 and neck uniform and very dark ; the orange of the hind-neck much restricted and 

 separated at the upper end from the blue by a black crescent-shaped patch ; naked 

 sides of lower neck entirely uniform blue instead of red, bordered anteriorly with 

 blue." 



6. Casuarius casuarius vioLicoLLisKothsch. Violet-necked Cassowary. (Plate XXVI.) 

 1899. Casuarius casuarius violicollis Rotlisch., Bull. B. O. C. viii. (uos. lix., lxiv.) pp. xxvii, lv. 



Adult. Casque low, sloping back very much, laterally compressed, horny brown, 

 green at base. Bill very long, straight and pointed. Plumage black. Face bluish 

 green. Occiput and upper hind-neck pale greenish blue, throat and fore-neck brilliant 

 deep blue. Hind-neck orange-scarlet. Naked lower sides of neck bright violaceous 

 mauve, bordered anteriorly with a narrow line of blue, posteriorly with a narrow line 

 of scarlet. Two wattles on fore-neck large, round, and close together in female ; small, 

 long, and wide apart in male, blue at base, rest fleshy pink. 



Juv. (half-grown). Plumage brown; neck and head dull leaden blue; hind-neck 

 dull gamboge-yellow ; lower naked sides of neck dirty flesh-pink. 



Juv. (three-fourths grown). Plumage brown, with a few black feathers ; head and 

 occiput pale dull blue; fore-neck dull indigo ; hind-neck orange; lower naked sides 

 of neck dark pink streaked with purplish red. 

 Hah. \ Trangan Island, Aru Islands. 



The type of the species was imported along with two specimens of C. bicarunculatus 

 from Aru, and is a female, for she has laid an egg ; but I have since received seven 

 others of this form, and they all agree in their characters. As the other islands of the 

 group are inhabited by different forms of Cassowaries, I am inclined to think that 

 Trangan Island must be the home of this interesting form. 



I described this form at the January meeting of the British Ornithologists' Club in 

 1899 as follows :— 



" This apparently undescribed form of Cassowary is most nearly allied to Casuarius 

 casuarius salvadorii, but differs conspicuously in the colour of the naked parts and in 

 the very large size, which fully equals that of C. c. australis. 



