PTILINOPUS SWAINSONII, Gould. 
Swainson’s Fruit Pig-eon. 
Ptilinopus purpuratus, var. Regina, Swains. Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 474? 
Columha purpurata, Jard. and Selb. 111. Orn., vol. ii. pi. 70. 
Ptilinopus Swainsonii, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., February 8, 1842. 
Considerable confusion has existed respeeting the very beautiful birds eonstituting the genus Ptilinopus, as 
to whether they are so many species or merely varieties, and I quite agree with Messrs. Jardine and Selby 
when they say in their ‘ Illustrations ’ above quoted, “We strongly suspeet that more than one speeies is 
involved among these different varieties, which some one in possession of them may hereafter he enabled 
to determine ; and their varied geographical distribution tends eonsiderahly to strengthen this opinion.” 
There are in faet several speeies of this beautiful form so closely allied that at a casual glance they would 
he considered as identieal, but on a eareful comparison their specifie differences will be elearly pereeived. 
At least two of them are natives of Australia, the remainder being distributed over the Indian and Poly- 
nesian Islands. The present bird has by many authors been considered either as identical with or as a 
mere variety of the Columba purpurata, Auet., but if eompared with that species it will be found to possess 
characters suffieiently different to warrant its being ebaraeterized as distinct ; I have therefore named it after 
Mr. Swainson, the author of the genus to whieh it belongs, as a slight testimony of the respect I entertain 
for the talents of one who has done so much towards the advaneement of ornithology, at onee the most 
interesting and popular branch of the seienee of natural history. 
• The specimens from which my figures were taken are from the brushes of the River Clarence, situated 
between the Hunter and Moreton Bay ; in the last-mentioned district it is tolerably abundant, the dense 
and luxuriant brushes affording it a congenial habitat and breeding-place. I have received both the young 
and the adults from this locality, but as I have never myself seen them in a state of nature, I am unable to 
give any aeeount of their habits or eeonomy. The sexes are so nearly alike in eolouring that disseetion 
alone can distinguish them with certainty. 
Forehead and crown deep erimson-red, surrounded exeept in front with a narrow ring of light yellow ; 
baek of the neek greyish green ; all the upper surfaee bright green tinged with yellow, the green beeoming 
deep blue towards the extremities of the tertiaries, whieh are broadly margined with yellow ; primaries 
slaty grey on their inner webs and green on the outer, very slightly margined with yellow ; tail-feathers 
deep green, largely tipped with rich yellow ; throat greenish grey, stained with yellow on the chin in some 
specimens and greyish white in others ; breast dull green, each feather forked at the end and with a 
triangular silvery-grey spot at each extremity ; flanks and abdomen green, with a large patch of orange-red 
in the centre of the latter ; under tail-coverts orange-yellow ; thighs green ; irides reddish orange ; bill 
greenish black and horn-colour at tip ; feet olive bro n. 
The figures are of the natural size. 
