50 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



The Pigeon Hollandais is first mentioned by Pierre Sonnerat, 

 who in 1774-81 travelled in the East Indies and China by order 

 of the King of France. In his wanderings Sonnerat visited the 

 Mascarene Islands ; his book of voyages gives some description 

 of Mauritius, and a figure of the Hackled Pigeon. Apparently 

 taken from a stuffed specimen, the drawing represents the bird 

 as standing stiffly on a branch ; the eye, however, is rendered 

 with a very natural expression of alertness, and the strong feet 

 grasp the perch with considerable power ; while the stiffness of 

 the almost horny hackles on the neck is well brought out in the 

 illustration. Sonnerat brought home with him two specimens 

 of this curious Pigeon, which were afterwards acquired by the 

 Paris Museum. His book, * Voyage aux Indes Orientales et a la 

 Chine,' was published at Paris in 1782, and is very interesting 

 reading. 



The Abbe Bonaterre stated, in 1790, that the Pigeon Hollandais 

 was still abundant in Mauritius. Perhaps this accounts for the 

 careless treatment meted out to Sonnerat's specimens, for they 

 were allowed to become spoilt. Coenraad Temminck, the first 

 Director of the Pays Bas Museum, which was founded at Leyden 

 in 1827, visited Paris on one of his rambles. He found that the 

 birds' plumage had been badly injured, but nevertheless thought 

 it worth while to figure the species in his work on Pigeons. As 

 a matter of fact, the fumes of sulphuric acid had been allowed to 

 gain access to these specimens. Luckily, though damaged, they 

 had not been thrown away, as was the Dodo in the museum at 

 Oxford. M. Dufresne, about 1815-1G, had a specimen of the 

 Pigeon Hollandais in his collection ; its previous history is un- 

 known, and, since its possessor was a professional dealer in 

 natural history specimens, it may have remained practically 

 unnoticed amongst the rest of his stock. He was, however, for 

 some time Conservator of the Cabinet of Natural History belong- 

 ing to the Empress Josephine ; and, since he is still remembered 

 through that tiny bird, Dufresne's Waxbill, one may rank him 

 as more than a mere buyer and seller of dried skins. Indeed, he 

 afterwards joined the staff of the Paris Museum as aide-naturaliste, 

 his own collection passing into the possession of the Edinburgh 

 University. The Pigeon Hollandais was included in the series, 

 and may now be seen in the Museum of Science and Art at 

 Edinburgh. And then the curious Hackled Pigeon of Mauritius 



