14 



Total length about 8.00 inches; bill from feathers on the side of the 

 head 0.50; wing 5.20 ; tail 3.20; tarsus 6.60; middle t.oe 0.05 ; claw 0.30. 



The following- concerning this bird is tiiken from Finsch's "Die 

 Papageieu '' : — "This is one of the rarest parrots existing. It is to be found 

 only in a few museums. It was erroneously said by Wagler to come 

 from the Sandwich Islands. Latterly, this rare sivecies does not seem 

 to come to Europe at all, which is surprising, inasmuch as the Society 

 Islands, which thus far have been regarded as their only home, have 

 considerable traffic with Europe. As a special locality. Vigors mentions 

 the island of Tuhutitiruha [sic] near Tahiti ; Lesson gives Borabora. 

 Bourjot's specimen in the Paris Museum is said to have come from Fan- 

 ning Island, northwest of Cbristmas, and northeast of the Phceuix group. 

 But, although everything is diametrically opposed to this statement, it 

 may, nevertheless, not be improbable that this very island is its true 

 home." 



From the foregoing statement, it is evident that much uncertainty 

 existed in regard to the habitat of G. JcuJdi, with the weight of the tes- 

 timony inclining toward the Society Islands. It is our pleasure to have 

 dispelled the doubt, and to have assigned the bird to its only true 

 homes, — Washington and Fanning islands of the Fanning group. It 

 is quite natural that such an opinion should prevail, and it is thus that 

 we would account for it. Natives of the southern groups visit these 

 islands periodically, to make cocoanutoil. We found a party of them 

 on Washington Island at the time of our visit, and in the possession of 

 the men were a number of the lories that had been caught and tamed. 

 It is evident that when these men return to their home=, they carry the 

 birds along with them, and in this way they have probably fallen into 

 the hands of collectors, who have them sent to Europe as coming from 

 the Society Islands. 



Fanning Island is situated about seventy miles to the south of W^ash- 

 ington Island. It possesses a good anchorage, and has been, visited a 

 number of times by exploring expeditions ; and, it is probable that Bour- 

 jot's specimen reached Europe through one of these. The island was 

 discovered by Capt. Fldmund Fanning, an American sailor, in 1798, and 

 it is evident from the following untechuical description, copied from his 

 "Voyages", that the lory was found living there at the time of his visits : — 

 "Amongst the birds was one species about the size of our robin \Turdus 

 migratorius] ; with a breast-of scarlet-colored feathers, the under portion 



