PTILOPUS SOLOMONENSIS, Gray. 
Solomon-Island Pruit-Fig’eon. 
Ptilonopus solomonensis, Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (4) v. p. 328 (1870). 
Ptilopus solomonensis, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov, ix. p. 196 (1876). — Giebel, Thes. Orn. iii. p. 368. — Ramsay, 
Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, iv. p. 74, note (1879). — Salvad. Orn. Papuasia e delle Molucche, iii. 
p. 50 (1882). 
Ptilopus rivolii (pt.), Elliot, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1878, p. 561. — Salvad. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1879, p. 65. 
Ptilopus ceraseipectus, Ti'istr. Ibis, 1879, p. 442. — Salvad. Ibis, 1880, p. 131. — ^Tristr. Ibis, 1880, p. 247. 
Ptilopus salomonis, Salvad. Ibis, 1880, p. 131. 
This species was at first described by the late Mr. George Robert Gray, from a specimen collected by 
Mr. Brencbley in the Solomon Islands. Unfortunately the typical specimen was a female, and it nas 
considered by Count Salvador! and Mr. Elliot to be in all probability the hen bird of Ptilopus rivolii. 
Canon Tristram having described a new Fruit-Pigeon from the Solomon Islands as P. ceraseipectus, 
discovered in Makira Harbour by Captain Richards, Count Salvador! suggested that this might be the bird 
described by Gray as P, solomonensis, and on comparison of specimens Canon Tristram found that this was 
the case. 
The only difference that we can perceive between the present species and P.Johannis from the Admiralty 
Islands is the colour of the fore jiart of the head, which in the present species is rich purplish red, instead 
of being lilac-colour as in P. johannis. Count Salvador! also mentions that the breast-patches of the two 
birds also vary in an equal degree ; but in the sjiecimens examined by us this has not heen so strongly 
pronounced as the variation in the colour of the heads of the two sjiecies. 
The following is a description of an adult bird lent to us l)y Mr. E. P. Ramsay: — 
Adult male. General colour above grass-green, the scapidars having subtenninal spots of purplish black ; 
wing-coverts like the back; bastard-wing, primary -coverts, and quills blackish, externally dark grass-green, 
the primaries washed with dull greenish gi'ey, the inner primaries greenish at their ends, with a conspicuous 
subterminal shade of ashy grey ; secondaries like the back, the outer ones with a narrow fringe of yellow ; 
two centre tail-feathers green, the remainder green externally, grey at the base and near the end of the 
inner web, with a broad subterminal band of blackish ; forehead rich purplish lilac, extending above each eye 
and on to the lores; ear-coverts, cheeks, throat, and fore neck green, paler on the chin and upper throat; 
on the chest a broad crescentic band of bright yellow ; centre of the breast and abdomen purplish lilac; 
sides of the. body and flanks green ; thighs green externally, edged with yellow internally ; lower abdomen, 
vent, and under tail-coverts rich yellow ; axillaries and under wing-coverts slaty grey, washed with green ; 
quills slaty grey below. Total length 8‘5 inches, culinen 0*65, wing 4-75, tail 2*75, tarsus 0’85. 
Two figures are given in the Plate, representing the adult male in two positions. They are drawn from 
the specimen lent to us by Mr. E. P. Ramsay. 
[R. B. S.] 
