Order COLUMBIFORMES. 
No. 105. 
Family TRERONIDM. 
HEMIPHAGA CHATHAMENSIS. 
CHATHAM ISLAND PIGEON. 
(Plate 77.) 
Carpophaga chathamensis Rothschild, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1891, p. 312, pi. 28 (Oct. 1st) : 
Chatham Islands. 
Carpophaga chathamensis Rothschild, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1891, p. 318, Oct. 1st. 
Carpophaga chathamica Forbes, Nature, Vol. XLVI., p. 252, July 14th, 1892 : Substitute name. 
Chatham Island. 
Hemiphaga chathamensis Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXI., p. 239,1893 (pref. June 10th) ; 
Buller, Birds New Zeal., Suppl., Vol. I., p. 41, 1905 ; Mathews, Syst. Av. Austral., p. 54, 
June 13th, 1927. 
Hemiphaga novceseelandice chathamensis Mathews and Iredale, Ibis, 1913, p. 208, July. 
Distribution. Chatham Islands. 
Adult (Type). Fore-head and crown of head glossy green, shading into dull purple on the back 
of the head and neck ; mantle and scapulars dull metallic-purple, the longer scapulars 
shading into green ; lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts light slate-grey, the longest 
upper tail-coverts shaded on the outer web with metallic-green ; wing-coverts slate-grey, 
shaded with metallic-green on the margins of the outer web ; primary-quills slate-grey, 
blackish on the inner web and at the tip : tail-feathers black, shaded with dull violet; 
sides of face, ear-coverts, cheeks, chin and throat, the sides of the neck and fore-neck and 
the chest blackish-grey, shaded with dull green or violet ; breast, abdomen, sides of body, 
flanks and thighs pure white ; shorter under tail-coverts white on the inner web and dark 
grey on the outer w T eb ; the longer under tail-coverts grey, washed with metallic-green on 
the outer web ; the under wing-coverts and axillaries very light greyish-white ; quills 
below light grey on the basal portion, shading into dark grey toward the tip. Total length 
500 mm. : culmen 22, wing 265, tail 216, tarsus 30. 
The sexes are alike. 
Nest. Like that of H. novceseelandice. A large platform of dried sticks, placed at the end of a 
branch. About 12 to 15 inches wide ; 2 deep, with the nesting-cavity 4 inch deep. 
Eggs. Indistinguishable from those of H. novceseelandice , both in texture and size. Clutch one, 
white and glossless. 45 to 47 mm. by 34 to 35. 
Breeding-season. December and January. (November to March.) 
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