Birds of the Fiji Islands . 143 
Koro, an island midway between Ovalan and Taviuni, and, 
rambling on shore, we came across some Parrots. 
We shot three birds; and on examining them onr aston¬ 
ishment was not a little increased to find that two of them 
exhibited the faintest trace of the blue nuchal collar ! while 
all have a large red broken maroon bar across the rump. Here, 
then, we have four distinct races in these islands (and, as I shall 
presently show, this i§ not a solitary instance):—first, the bright 
crimson-bellied race, with blue collar, of Viti Levu, extending,# 
I think, to Kandavu*; second, the Mathuata bird (Bua and 
Ndreketti), on the other large island of Yanua Levu, ma¬ 
roon-bellied, with broadish blue nuchal collar f ; third, the 
Koro bird, maroon-bellied, with the faintest trace of the blue 
collarand, fourth, the Taviuni race (P. taviunensis, mihi), 
maroon-coloured, and without a trace of the blue collar. 
In habits the races are similar. They frequent the forest, 
feeding on various fruits and berries as they come into season, 
and making descents on the planters"’ Indian-corn crops, where 
their depredations are very serious. They are very shy and 
wary, planting sentinels, who, with harsh cries, warn the flock 
of approaching danger, when off they all troop to the forest, 
and hide silently in the dense crowns of the broadest-leafed 
trees. If they find themselves discovered, they utter loud cries, 
swaying themselves to and fro on their perches, and holding 
themselves ready for flight in a moment. I have dodged them 
by appearing to walk past, and then, after changing my No. 
10 cartridge for No. 7, crept back and dropped my quarry, who 
had meanwhile resumed his feeding, thinking that all was 
secure. 
A gentleman at Ngila assured me that he had obtained 
three young ones from the same nest. They are capable of 
being tamed to any extent; and a lady on the Bewa has several 
pairs of these and P. personatus that fly about the woods 
* [This is P. splendens (Peale). Examples from both islands are in 
Lord Walden’s collection.— Ed.] 
f [This is probably P. tahuensis; but Mr. Layard’s speciments have not 
yet reached this country.— Ed.] 
X [This appears to be P. hysginus (Forster); but Mr. Layard’s specimens 
have not yet arrived.— Ed.] 
