PTILINOPUS SWAINSONILI, Gowa

Swainson’s Fruit Pigeon.
Piilinopus purpuratus, var. Regina, Swains. Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 474?
Columba purpurata, Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 70.
Piihnopus Swainsonit, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., February 8, 1842.

 

CoNSIDERABLE confusion has existed respecting the very beautiful birds constituting the genus Predinopus, as
to whether they are so many species or merely varieties, and I quite agree with Messrs. Jardine and Selby
when they say in their ‘ Illustrations’ above quoted, “We strongly suspect that more than one species is
involved among these different varieties, which some one in possession of them may hereafter be enabled
to determine; and their varied geographical distribution tends considerably to strengthen this opinion.”
There are in fact several species of this beautiful form so closely allied that at a casual glance they would
be considered as identical, but on a careful comparison their specific differences will be clearly perceived.
At least two of them are natives of Australia, the remainder being distributed over the Indian and Poly-
nesian Islands. The present bird has by many authors been considered either as identical with or as a
mere variety of the Columba purpurata, Auct., but if compared with that species it will be found to possess
characters sufficiently different to warrant its being characterized as distinct ; I have therefore named it after
Mr. Swainson, the author of the genus to which it belongs, as a slight testimony of the respect I entertain
for the talents of one who has done so much towards the advancement of ornithology, at once the most
interesting and popular branch of the science of natural history.

The specimens from which my figures were taken are from the brushes of the River Clarence, situated
between the Hunter and Moreton Bay; in the last-mentioned district it is tolerably abundant, the dense
and luxuriant brushes affording it a congenial habitat and breeding-place. I have received both the young
and the adults from this locality, but as I have never myself seen them in a state of nature, [am unable to
give any account of their habits or economy. The sexes are so nearly alike in colouring that dissection
alone can distinguish them with certainty.

Forehead and crown deep crimson-red, surrounded except in front with a narrow ring of light yellow ;
back of the neck greyish green ; all the upper surface bright green tinged with yellow, the green becoming
deep blue towards the extremities of the tertiaries, which are broadly margined with yellow ; primaries
slaty grey on their inner webs and green on the outer, very slightly margined with yellow ; tail-feathers
deep green, largely tipped with rich yellow ; throat greenish grey, stained a yellow on the chin in some
specimens and greyish white in others; breast dull green, each feather Hose at the end and with a
triangular silvery-grey spot at each extremity; flanks and abdomen green, with e large patch of orange-red
in the centre of the latter; under tail-coverts orange-yellow ; thighs green; irides reddish orange ; bill
greenish black and horn-colour at tip ; feet olive bro n.

The figures are of the natural size.