Sydney Porter—Notes on Birds of Fiji



97



had been to so much trouble and expense to procure them. I had one

consolation—I still have my three splendid Ngau Island birds.


Some few years ago the American Expedition, already referred to,

did great slaughter amongst the few remaining Masked Parrakeets,

The Island of Viti Levu was simply combed out for them. Every

bird seen was shot ; on their own account twenty-six specimens are

reported as taken, not counting the ones wounded or dropped into the

dense vegetation which were never recovered. When science and

commercialism combined are let loose on the Pacific Islands, heaven

help the birds.


Several surveyors who were working in the interior said that they

had at odd times seen an occasional bird but that they were exceedingly

rare and very timid. So with the present restrictions, combined with

the continued depredations of the mongoose, I think that we have

seen the last of the Masked Parrakeet in this country. In fact I doubt

if there is a single one in captivity in the world.


The Red-shining Parrakeet (.Pyrrhulopsis splendens)


When in Fiji I was naturally anxious to see something of the

splendid Red-shining Parrakeet, one of the largest and most gorgeous

of living Parrakeets and the best known of the Fijian Parrakeets.


Like all the other Pyrrhulopsis Parrakeets, this species is, or was,

confined to one island, namely Kandavu Island, but escaped birds

I was told have now become established on Yiti Levu, but I did not

see any there. Kandavu is the third largest island in the Fiji group

and is quite large as South Sea islands go.


The difficulty was how to get there as there was a complete lack

of communication between Suva and Kandavu. There is no postal

service, no telegraph in fact, only one white missionary resides there ;

so these facilities, should they be installed, would be quite wasted. The

island is visited only by small native trading boats at intermittent

periods.


After some inquiries on the part of the person who had been getting

some of the Parrakeets for me, I was able to fix up to go on a small

trading schooner which was going down to get hold of a cargo of

bananas for shipment to an Australian port. The voyage from Suva



