THE BIRDS OF THE FIJI ISLANDS. 



By Mr. G. D. ROWLEY. 



[Continued from vol. i. p. 262.] 



CHRYSGENA VICTOR, Gould. 



Th. xp^(^o9, gold, and oha?^ a dove. 



Had the Paphian goddess ever known Chrysoena victor, Gould, there is 

 little doubt that instead of the Doves of Mount Ida she would have taken to 

 her affections this bird ; but laughter-loving Venus, to speak in the language 

 of " the blind old man of Scio's rocky isle," never obtained the species. If 

 such good luck had come to her, the blue-eyed maid v^ould have tried to coax 

 her, as Juno did, and offered her " in exchange " the Owl, Athene meridionalis, 

 Risso, which, as Canon Tristram says (Land of Israel, chap. iv. p. 67^, " was 

 certainly the little species which stands out on the coins of old Athens, the 

 emblem of Minerva," — not the Eagle Owl (^Bubo ignavus, T. Foster); for 

 Minerva had nothing to do with the latter, unless, indeed, she was a collector, 

 w^hich, as far as I know, Hawtrey did not teach, and Homer did not tell. 

 In order that we may not be in the same lamentable condition of columbine 

 nescience as the sea-born goddess, this charming orange-coloured Dove of a 

 golden genus is figured here. Well has Mr. Gould given the name " victor " 

 to the beautiful Pigeon ! And Pigeons are beautiful ; lovely among the 

 loveliest, however, this bears away the palm. " Palmam qui meruit ferat." 

 It is worthy to be the subject of quarrel between a Juno, a Minerva, and a 

 Venus. Would that we could be wafted for a few hours to the forests of 



Eo 



