308 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on Birch 



I do not believe t]i2ii M. goldiei is founded on "less mature*' 

 examples o£ M. cinereiceps as is stated by Messrs. Rothschild 

 and Hartert [N. Z. viii. p. 125 (1901)], as I have before 

 me absolute proof that the young male of M. cinereiceps 

 assumes a grey head, quite like that of the adult, directly it 

 moults from the juvenile plumage. M. goldiei, moreover, 

 seems, as already stated, to have more rufous upperparts than 

 M. cinereiceps, but this may be partially due to w^ear or 

 fading. 



I am by no means convinced that it is correct or even 

 expedient to regard M. cinereiceps and M. goldiei as subspecies 

 of M. amhoinensis, which has the underparts very strongly 

 barred and seems to belong to another section of the genus. 



" This Ouckoo-Dove was undoubtedly the commonest of 

 the smaller Pigeons, especially between Parimau and the 

 mountains. It has a graceful flight and a sweet call of three 

 or four coos. It appears to spend much of its time feeding 

 on the ground, but when alarmed flies up into the trees 

 and is then easily secured." — C. H. B. G. 



Macropygia nigrirostris. 



Macropygia nigrirostris Salvad.; id. Cat. xxi. p. 361 (1893); 

 Roths. & Hartert, N. Z. xx. p. 479 (1913). 



a-d. c? et (J imm. Parimau, Mimika River, 25th Sept.- 

 15th Dec. 1914. [Nos: 251, 490, 545, 740, C. H. B. G.] 



e-m. (^ $ et (^ imm. Camp 9, Utakwa River, 5500 ft., 

 25th-30th Jan. 1913. [ C. B. K.] 



Iris formed of successive different-coloured rings, pale 

 yellow next to pupil, then black, and externally orange ; 

 lores and orbits dark crimson ; bill black ; feet coral-red or 

 crimson. 



Two of the male specimens, d and /, are not quite mature, 

 and still retain one or more secondary quills of the first 

 plumage. 



" Apparently a scarce bird, but as it is almost indistinguish- 

 able in life from M, cinereiceps, except at very close quarters, 

 it was probably frequently overlooked. Its habits are similar 

 to those of AI, cinereiceps.'^ — C. H. B. G. 



