Mr. E. Blyth's Drafts for a Fauna Indica. 99 



less rounded, and even bowed or hollowed in some instances ; the 

 tarsi comparatively elongated, and the toes long and adapted for 

 ground habits. Some even much resemble partridges in their 

 mode of life ; but even these, for the most part, prefer the cover 

 of low brush-wood (as do also many partridges), the haunts of 

 different species varying ; and other genera are completely sylvan 

 in their abode, feeding on the ground, more especially on fallen 

 fruits and berries. Such are the magnificent Gouras, or great 

 crowned pigeons {Goura coronata and G. Stoursii) of the Moluc- 

 cas and New Guinea, which in their plumage and colouring ap- 

 proximate Treron cantillans and Carpophaga insignis; and the 

 elegant hackled ground pigeons {Caloenas), one of which (C nico- 

 baricus) abounds in the forests of the Malay peninsula, and in 

 the Nicobar, Andaman and Cocos isles, thus almost verging on 

 the eastern boundary of the territory whose fauna we here treat 

 of. The general resemblance of this bird to Ptilinopus is striking 

 in the living specimens of both ; and from what I have observed 

 of it in confinement, I have great reason to doubt the current 

 statement that it ever lays more than two eggs, the number so 

 usual in the pigeon family : indeed I think there is present rea- 

 son to be sceptical of the statements that any pigeon lays more 

 than that number ; though it is certain that several of the Gourince 

 are clad with down at an early age, and follow their parents soon 

 after they are hatched. The only Indian species is among the 

 least characteristic of the tribe, so much so, that it requires some 

 knowledge of its various Australian affines to comprehend its 

 classification in the present group. It ranks under 



Chalcophaps, Gould (apparently a sylvan subgenus of P^ajo*, 

 Selby, exemplified by the common Bronze-wing of Australia). 



Ch. indica : Columha indica, Linn. : C. pileata, Scopoli ; C. 

 javanica (?), cyanocephala et albicapilla, Gmelin : C. cyanopileata 

 et griseocapilla, Bonnaterre : C. super ciliaris, Wagler. {Ram- 

 G'hoogoo and Mhdj-G'hoogoo, Bengal ; Gyo-ngyo, Arracan.) Back 

 and wings emerald-green, glossed with aureous; the feathers 

 distinct and scale-like ; neck, breast and under -parts vinaceous- 

 brown, paler below, and of a duller hue in the female ; two broad 

 dusky bars alternating with grayish-white on the rump; tail 

 dusky in the male, its outermost and penultimate feathers 

 whitish-gray, with black subterminal band; primaries dusky; 

 forehead of the male white, passing as a supercilium over the 

 eye ; the crown of the head ash-gray ; a white bar near the angle 

 of the wing ; and lower tail-coverts ashy, the longest brown- 

 black ; inside of the wings reddish cinnamon-brown. The female 

 has a grayish-white forehead much less developed than in the 

 other sex, and a narrow whitish supercilium ; crown of the head 

 rufescent ; no white bar at the shoulder of the wing j the tail 



