26 THE BIEDS OF THE FIJI ISLANDS. 



missionary settlement on the south-west of the Island of Vanua Levu, and 

 the principal place of resort in that district." He described it in glowino- 

 terms as appearing, from its gorgeous colouring, ''like a flash of light," even 

 at the distance of a quarter of a mile ! Its note resembles somewhat the 

 cracking of the thumb and finger; and the natives by resorting to this 

 expedient induce the birds to answer, and thus to betray their whereabouts 

 when out of sight. Mr. Robson could not give me any information respecting 

 its nest and eggs, nor of its food, except the general fact that it feeds on 

 berries.' 



" Since the above remarks were in type, Mr. Sclater has forwarded to 

 me the following note : — ' Dr. Eduard Graff'e has already spoken of the 

 existence of this bird, in his article on the Ornithology of Polynesia, in 

 Cabanis's ' Journ. f. Orn.' 1870, p. 478. Dr. Graffe saw a specimen of it 

 living in a cage at Levuka, Ovalau, belonging to an English lady.' " 



Mr. E. L. Layard, writing upon the birds of Fiji (P. Z. S. 1875, p, 30), 

 says :—" By the way. Professor von Suhm, of the ' Challenger,' and I, after 

 going carefully into the subject, have come to the conclusion that the ' Orange 

 Dove' of Taviuni and Lanthala (^Chryscena victor, Gould) is a phase of plumage 

 of the ' Green Dove ' (C luteovirens) ; the change is hardly more remarkable 

 than the adult change of Ptilonopus perousei, also from green to yellow, though 

 a very light one." 



Again (p. 151), Mr, Layard expresses himself thus on Chrysoena viridis, 

 sp. nov. : — " One of the naturalists of the ^ Challenger,' Dr. von Suhm, 

 obtained several specimens, but wrongly identified it as C luteovirens, which 

 he did not procure. I agreed with him at the time, till I obtained specimens 

 for myself, and, finding it in the full breeding-stage, came to the conclusion 

 that my first impression of its being C. luteovirens not in breeding-dress must 

 be erroneous. The acquisition of C. luteovirens in all stages showed me, 

 beyond a doubt, that it is distinct; I therefore describe it as an addition to 

 the genus Chrysoena. 



