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Sydney Porter—Notes on Birds of Fiji



the only way to obtain them would be to get young ones from the nest

and hand-rear them.


One gets no idea of the real beauty of the bird from skins, for the

iridescent orange soon fades after death.


The Golden Dove (Chryscena luteovirnes)


Amongst the renowned Doves of Fiji this bird takes a high place

and fortunately it is also one of the commonest. When handled in

the skin “ Golden Dove 55 seems rather a misnomer, for upon death

the colour fades to pale greenish-golden yellow. But seen in life flashing

through the forests it appears like a ball of golden light. Not only

is it remarkable on account of its plumage, but also on account of its

call. When I first came to Viti Levu I was greatly surprised to hear in

the forests the deep bark of a seemingly large dog. A loud sonorous

“ Whoof, whoof! ”, to be followed by another bark a distance off.

I thought at first that this must be a large native dog, for there are

no wild dogs of any kind in the South Sea Islands ; in fact I don’t

think there are any endemic mammals of any kind in Fiji. I learned

soon afterwards that this was the call of the “ Barking Dove ”, as it

is known to Europeans in Fiji.


I often used to see many of these lovely birds on the edge of a native

clearing just outside Suva ; they could be seen at any time of the day

feeding in the low berry-bearing trees.


The feathers of this bird are different from those of any other Dove

and are glossy in texture and lanceolate in shape.


The Nutmeg Pigeon (Muscadivores latrans)


This Pigeon, so called from its partiality for nutmegs, is greatly

sought after by the natives, who shoot it and bring large bundles into

Suva for sale. Unfortunately its number is now greatly decreased

and the bird is extremely wary. I was never able to get within many

hundreds of yards of the ones I saw, which were always perched on the

limbs of dead trees on the look out for enemies. Often natives will

take great bundles of these birds into the town and, owing to the high

price they ask, are unable to sell them. They will keep the bodies for

a day or two then throw them away, going into the forests for a fresh



