168



Sydney Porter—Notes on Birds of Fiji



forests. Unfortunately in the islands where the mongoose has been

introduced it is nearly extinct. I was lucky in securing from a person in

Suva an example of a very rare form from the Caroline Islands, known

as the White-fronted Amethyst Ground Pigeon (G. kubaryi). This is

a very beautiful but extremely spiteful bird. It has killed several of

my other Pigeons, including ones nearly twice its own size. It also

slew a mate which someone kindly gave me for it in New Zealand ;

this was the commoner White-fronted Ground Pigeon ( G . jobiensis)

from New Guinea and the surrounding islands. The male was in

breeding condition and wanted to nest even in the crate coming over,

and one morning on going my round of the cages on the boat I found

the female practically torn to pieces and stripped of nearly every feather.

The Caroline Island Pigeon is one of the most beautiful of the smaller

Pigeons, having the forehead, throat, and upper breast snow white

while the back and wings are lovely shining amethyst purple ; the nape

is pale grey and the rest of the plumage slatey black.


Its habits in a wild state, I suppose, would not differ from the Fijian

species, which seems, as far as I could see, to live a solitary existence

in the dense undergrowth, only rising when one almost treads on it.

It soon settles down into the undergrowth again.


The Fijian Eail (Hypotcenidia philippinensis sethsmithi)


In the swamps, often around the villages, on Kandavu Island I found

Seth-Smith’s Eail abundant. It is a sub-species of the well-known

Banded or Philippinean Eail, which is distributed all over the islands

of the Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand in varying sub-species.

On Viti Levu, in common with all other ground birds, this species

has been practically exterminated by the mongoose. It is a very shy

and retiring species and as soon as it sees an intruder it quickly dis¬

appears into the thick vegetation.


I was fortunate in getting hold of a pair of these birds when in

Viti Levu, which I brought home with me. They stood the journey well

and settled down in my aviaries. Unfortunately soon after my arrival

home rats made their appearance in my aviaries. They soon took one

of these and I straightway moved the other birds into another aviary ;

the rats followed and took another. I bad five birds, two of the species



