658 Birds of Celebes: Peristeridae 



"Mahawa", Banka Island (N. of Celebes), Dresden Mus. 



"Burong mas" (Gold Bird), Malay name in Great Sangi, Hickson 29. 



For further synonymy and references cf. Salvador! 39. 



Figures and descriptions. Albin a I; Edwards all; Bonn, h II; Hayes bill; Vieillot 

 b V; Levaillant el; Rchb. F]; Knip b IV; Gray & Hardwicke d I; Selby el; 

 Hume 13; Salvadori 23, 39; Gates 24 (ex Hume). 



Adult. Metallic green, with coppery reflections, duller below; cervix clothed with hackle- 

 feathers of great length, green and blue; head all round, nape and upper breast 

 blackish, the sides of the head and the upper breast glossed with blue; remiges, 

 outer upper wing-coverts and carpal edge blue, blending wth the green of the 

 back, the outer in-imaries brownish black; tail and longer under tail-coverts 

 pure wMte; remiges below and inner under wing-coverts dusky brown: "iris deep 

 brown; bill, cere and fleshy protuberance at the base of the culmen dark blackish 

 grey or deep slaty; legs and feet varying from pinkish lake to dull purphsh lilac, 

 claws chrome yellow, the soles dull gi-eyish yellow" — Hume 13 (Siao: Meyer — 

 Nr. 13833). 



Female. "Similar to the male, but smaller, narrow feathers of the neck shorter, and also the 

 frontal knob smaller" (Salvad. 39]. 



Young. The long cervical hackle-feathers wanting; tail blackish glossed ^vith blue; "iris 

 grey-brown; bill black, tip pale, feet black-bro-mi" (o' juv., Puerto Princesa, Palawan, 

 4. Nov. 87: Platen — Nr. 13190). 



Measurements. Wing ca. 250 mm; tail 95; tarsus 46; exposed bill 26. 



Fgg. I in number, wliite, shell very finely pitted, almost glossless: size 47 X 32 mm (Hume 

 34 — Batty Malve, Nicobars). Size 43 X 33 mm (Nehrkorn Coll. fi'om the Berhn 

 Zoolog. Gardens). 



Nest. A platform of twigs, very loosely and carelessly put together, in bushy trees, usually 

 20 to 30 feet from the ground (Davison 13, 34). 



Distribution. Nicobars (Hume & Davison 13, etc.): Andamans (Blyth 3, Davison 13); 

 Cocos (Phayre fide Blyth 12, 23), Mergui Is. (Heifer fide Blyth 23); Noordwachter 

 Id. in Java Sea (Vorderman 3o); Satonda Id. (Doherty 42); small islands off 

 Billiton, e. g. Pulo Lima (Vorderman 35, 36); Labuan (Low 16); Tega Is., near 

 Borneo (Whitehd. 30, 31); Mantanani Is. near Borneo (Everett 30); Mangsi Id. 

 (Peale 30); Palawan (Platen 28, 30); Mindoro (Steer e 33); Negros, Tawi-Tawi 

 and Sooloo (Bourns & Worcester 41); Sibutu, Sooloo Is. (Everett 40); Great 

 Sangi (Meyer 18, 25, Hickson 29); Siao (Meyer 25); Banka (Dresd. Mus.); Mina- 

 hassa (v. Musschenbr. 18); "some small islands near Macassar" (Wallace f 1); 

 Moluccas — Ceram, Obi, Batchian, Kaioa, Temate, Halmahera, Morty; Papuasia — 

 Waigiou, Salawatti, Koffiao, Peean near Mysol, N.W. Penins. of New Guinea, Jobi, 

 Miosnom, Mafoor, Mysore, Kei Is., Huon Gulf in S. E. New Guinea, Port Moresby, 

 Deboyne Id., Ludovician Id., Duchateau Id., Normanby Id., Credner Id., Louisiade 

 Is., New L-eland, Duke of York, Anchorite Is., Solomon Islands (fide Salvadori 23, 

 38, 39); Trobriand and Egum Is. (Meek 42); New Britain fide B. Geisler). 



The Nicobar Pigeon is the sole representative of its genus Caloenas, and 

 subfamily Caloenadinae, if we except the closely allied local form, C. pelewensis 

 of the Pelew Islands, which Count Salvadori holds distinct on account of its 

 smaller size and bluer tints. In appearance its stout heavy body, strong legs, 

 and the lustrous hackles of its neck are strongly suggestive of the Gallinae, but 



