THE BIRDS OF THE FIJI ISLANDS. 



35 



Total 



Outmost Bill from Bill from 



Middle 



length. 



Wing. 



Tan. 



feather. 



front. 



gape. 



Tarsus. 



toe. 



centims. 



millims. 



millims. 



millims. 



millims. 



millims. 



millims. 



millims 



c. 14 



86 



45 



38 



12 



19 



23 



12 





78 



45 



40 



12 



19 



23 



14 



''The specimen from which the above description was taken is 

 undoubtedly an old bird in full dress^ and apparently a male ; the second 

 specimen agrees in every respect, except that the wings are a little shorter 

 and the point of the bill shows scarcely any emargination ; it may perhaps 

 be a female. This new bird is a native of the yet unexplored island of Vuna, 

 or Taviuni, of the Feejee group, which, separated only by the Somo-Somo 

 passage, lies a few miles east of the south-east point of Vanua-Levu, one of 

 the main islands of that group. A collector's note says, 'The small black 

 bird, native name 'Kaya^' from top of mountains, Taviuni, has the habits of 

 a perching bird or Robin ; eyes dark brown.' 



" I have great pleasure in naming this most remarkable and brilliant 

 new species Lamprolia victoricje^ in honour of Her Imperial and Royal 

 Highness Victoria, Crown-Princess of the German Empire and of Prussia." 



Mr. E. L. Layard says (Ibis, October 1875, 3rd ser. vol. v. p. 435) : — 

 " Mr. L. Layard, who obtained several specimens of this singular bird, 

 informs me that it creeps about in the lower grow^th of the thick saplings 

 and among the pendent thin lianas and vines in the very thick forest, in the 

 same locality as the Myiagra azureocapilla. Occasionally they descend to the 

 ground and peck among the fallen leaves. When disturbed, they flit among 

 the lianas, at no great height (say 20 feet) from the ground. He only saw 

 one, upon a tall tree. When chasing each other, he heard them utter a sharp 

 shrill twitter; at other times they were silent. Their food he found to 

 consist entirely of small beetles. Bill and legs black ; iris dark horn.'" 



Again (P. Z. S. 1875, p. 432), the same writer says : — " It is confined to 

 a mountain-range on the north of Taviuni. Mr. Liardet, in a late expedition, 



