Part 58

In collections this bird is very rare. I have the male (in moult) which was caught on August 28th, 1893 on Oneida Lake, in the State of New York.

Habitat: West Indian Islands.

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HEMIPHAGA SPADICEA (LATH.)

(PLATE 21.)

Chestnut-shouldered Pigeon Latham, Gen. Syn. Suppl. II, add. p. 375 (1802--Norfolk Island).

Columba spadicea Latham, Ind. Orn., Suppl. p. LX, No. 7 (1802--Norfolk Island); Temminck and Knip, Pigeons, II, p. 1, pl. 1 (1808--"Friendly Islands."--Errore).

Columba gigas Ranzani, Elementi di Zool. III, 1, p. 223 (1821--"Friendly Islands."--Errore).

Columba princeps Vigors, P.Z.S. 1833, p. 78 (Australia--errore).

Columba leucogaster Wagler, Syst. Av., Columba spec. 12 (1827--Norfolk Island).

Hemiphaga spadicea Salvadori, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXI, p. 238 (1893).

The Norfolk Island Pigeon, Hemiphaga spadicea spadicea, is very similar to the New Zealand Pigeon, Hemiphaga spadicea novaezealandiae, but differs in having the hind-neck coppery or metallic green, sharply defined from the chestnut back, the wings and upper wing-coverts more greyish, less greenish, also the lower back and rump somewhat more greyish.

As far as we know this pigeon was only found on Norfolk Island, the locality "Australia" being doubtless erroneous. Like so many other birds it became extinct on Norfolk Island, probably more than half a century ago.

There are evidently quite a number of specimens in various museums, many of which have never been recorded. I am aware of the following examples:

1 in the British Museum (Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXI, p. 238). 3 in the Liverpool Museum (Bull. Liverp. Mus. I, p. 35). 1 in my own collection (Proc. IV. Orn. Congress, p. 215). 1 in Philadelphia, U.S. America (Cassin, U.S. Expl. Exp. B, p. 225). 1 in Frankfurt a.M. (Hartert, Kat. Vogelsamml., p. 189). 1 in Wiesbaden (Lampe, Jahrb. Nassau Ver. 58). 1 in Bremen (Hartlaub, Verz. Museum, p. 98). 1 in Lisbon (Forbes and Rob., Bull. Liverp. Mus. II, p. 130). 1 in Leyden (Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas). 1 in Vienna (Ibis 1860, p. 422). 1 in Naples, seen by myself. 1 in Milan, examined by myself.

The specimen at Tring was bought at the auction of the "Cumberland Museum" at Distington.

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ALECTROENAS NITIDISSIMA (SCOP.)

(PLATE 22.)

Pigeon hollandais Sonnerat, Voy. Ind. Orient. II, p. 175, pl. 101 (1782).

Hackled Pigeon Latham, Syn. B. II, 2, p. 641, No. 36 (1783).

Columba nitidissima Scopoli, Del. Flor. and Faun. Insubr. II, p. 93, No. 89 (1786) (ex Sonnerat).

Columba franciae Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 2, p. 779, No. 51 (1788). (ex Sonnerat).

Columba botanica Bonnaterre, Enc. Méth. I, p. 233 (1790).

Ramier périssé Levaillant, Ois. d'Afr. VI, p. 74, pl. 267 (1808).

Columba jubata Wagler, Syst. Av., Columba, sp. 22 (1827).

Alectroenas nitidissima G. R. Gray, List Gen. B., p. 58 (1840).

Alectroenas franciae Reichenbach, Syn. Av., Columbariae, p. 2, f. 1302 (1847).