^ E D I K H I N U S
(EDIRHINUS INSOLITUS.
Knob-billed Fruit-Pig'eon.
Ptilopus insolitus, Schlegel, Nederl. Tijdschr. Dierk. i. p. 61, pi. iii. fig. 3.—Meyer, Rowley’s Om. Misceli, ii,
p. 340.—Salvad. P. Z. S. 1877, p. 196.—Elliot, P .Z .S . 1878, p. 549.
Ptilopus humeralis jobiensis (monstrosity), Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, Columbas, p. 16.
(Edirhinusglolifer, Cabanis & Reichenow, Sitz. Gesellsch. naturf. Fr. Berlin, 1876, p. 73.—lid. J.f. 0 .1876, p. 326.
(Edirhinus insolitus, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1877, p. 110.—Rowley, Om. Miscellany, ii. p. 338, pi. lxvi.—Sclater,
P .Z .S . 1878, p. 290.
T h i s remarkable bird, which Mr. Dawson Rowley names the “ S trange Pigeon,” a title it well deserves, was
first made known to science in 1861 by Professor Schlegel, who possessed a single example at Leiden in
somewhat damaged condition. T h e locality was stated to be New Caledonia; but this was probably an error,
as our next acquaintance with the species was due to Dr. Huesker, who accompanied the German Transit-
of-Venus Expedition on board the ‘ Gazelle,’ and procured the bird in New I re lan d ; and his specimen was
named (Edirhinus globifer by Drs. Cabanis and Reichenow. Shortly afterwards Dr. Sclater received it from
Duke-of-York Island, from Mr. George Brown, and identified the species with one previously described,
Ptilopus insolitus o f Professor Schlegel, who meanwhile had looked upon the species as a monstrosity of his
Ptilopus jobiensis. Dr. Sclater gave a woodcut o f the head to show the extraordinary knob a t the base of
the b ill; and this illustration was followed by a beautiful figure in Mr. Rowley’s ‘ Ornithological Miscellany,’
with an excellent history of the species contributed by Dr. Meyer. During the present year Dr. Sclater has
received a second consignment from Mr. Brown, in which there was a large series o f this Fruit-Pigeon ; and
although there were no labels on the birds, the receipt o f nearly twenty specimens seems to show th at there
is no difference in the colour o f the sexes, although a good deal o f variation in the size and colour o f the
knob was observable, the individuals which had this character more largely developed being probably the
older males.
I have followed the above-named authors in keeping this bird distinct under the genus (Edirhinus, though
Mr. Elliot, in his recent Monograph o f the genus Ptilopus, has replaced the species in the latter genus,
considering th at the knob on the bill is paralleled by the protuberance found in some of the species of
Carpophaga, which are not recognized as generically distinct. According to the last-named ornithologist
the present bird belongs to the section o f the genus Ptilopus in which the breast-feathers are not bifurcate,
and the middle o f the abdomen is orange. I t is nearly allied to P . iozonus, P . humeralis and P . jobiensis,
but differs not only in the yellow knob on the forehead, but also by having the shoulders and patch on the
back light grey, and the tail bright green, with the apical third ashy grey.
Nothing is known of the habits o f this fine species ; so I m ust content myself with adding the description
o f the bird given by Mr. Elliot in the paper above alluded to.
“ Head, neck, back, breast, and flanks bright bronzy g re e n ; throat green slightly tinged with g rey ;
abdomen deep o ran g e ; shoulders and a patch on each side o f the back, a t the edge o f the mantle, light
grey ; wings green ; secondaries margined with b right yellow on th eir outer webs; inner secondaries light
grey, margined with g re e n ; tail bright green, with the apical third ashy g r e y ; crissum and under tail-
coverts bright yellow; bill greenish a t base, yellowish a t tip; forehead and base o f culmen covered by a
bony protuberance large and rounded in form, very couspicuous, and o f a red co lo u r; tarsi and feet red.
Total length 9 i inches, wing 5, tail 3, bill a t gape I . ”
T he figures in the Plate are drawn from specimens collected by Mr. Brown and lent me by D r Sclater,
T he birds are represented o f the size o f life.