Order COLUMBIFORMES. 
No. 2. 
Family C0LUMB1DM. 
JANTHCENAS GODMAN/E. 
LORD HOWE ISLAND PIGEON. 
(Plate 2.) 
Janthcenas Reichenback, Nat. Syst. Vogel, p. xxv., 1852 (1853). Type (by original designa¬ 
tion) : Columba janthina Temminck. 
Raperia Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. III., p. 23, June 30th, 1915. Type (by original 
designation) : Raperia godmance Mathews. 
Raperia godmanie Mathews, Austral. Av. Rec., Vol. III., p. 24, June 30fch, 1915: Lord Hove 
Island, Pacific Ocean. 
Raperia godmance Mathews, Austral. Av. Rec., Vol. III., p. 24, June 30th, 1915; Mathews and 
Iredale, ib., Vol. IV., p. 109, Dec. 16th, 1920 ; Mathews, Systema Av. Australas, p. 53,1927. 
Janthcenas godmance Mathews, Syst. Av. Australas, p. viii., June 13th, 1927. 
Distribution. Lord Howe Island (extinct). 
Adult. Head and breast purple-mauve ; throat and upper neck white ; mantle green; back 
and wing-coverts brown with the edges of the feathers lighter ; abdomen and under tail- 
feathers brown ; tail blackish-brown ; primaries brown with the outer edges lighter, 
under aspect of wing lighter with shafts whitish. Legs red ; eyes red, bare space round 
them dark red ; base of bill and cere red, tip of both mandibles green. Total length about 
400 mm.: bill 27, wing 220, tail 120, tarsus 46. The figure is that of the type from a 
drawing by George Raper in 1790, and called by him “ Pigeon of Lord Howe Island.” 
Immature, nest and eggs. Unknown. 
As I pointed out, this bird should be placed in the genus Janthcenas, members 
of which occur on New Caledonia and Loyalty Islands, New Hebrides, Fiji and 
Samoa, Soloman Islands, Louisiade Archepelago, New Guinea, Timor and 
Molucca Islands. 
This bird is closely related to Janthcenas halmaheira (Bonaparte), who first 
described it in 1855, or sixty-five years after Raper* made his painting. Although 
this bird was supposed to have been discovered on Lord Howe Island, ive must 
remember that a bird rather like it lives on the Duke of York Island. 
The Ship “ Waaksaamheydt,” on which Raper came home, called at 
the Duke of York Island (St. George’s Channel) and watered in May, 1791. 
The date on the drawing of the Pigeon is 1790, so wc have a vexed question 
here. There is no reason why this bird should not have been collected on 
Lord Howe Island. It is quite possible that all the forms of this genus are 
only subspecies of vitiensis of Quoy et Gaimard. 
I am indebted to Air. N. B. Kinnear for much help with the above. 
*George Raper was on the H.M-S. “Sirius.” Entered Long Reach on December 8th, 1780; wasanable- 
bodied seaman up to September 30 th, 1787. He then became a midshipman. He was paid off on board H3LS. 
“Duke ” in Portsmouth Harbour on May 16th, 1792; became Lieutenant, June 17th, 1793, and died in 1 "9". 
