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



towards the knee. They nidificate and habitually perch on 

 trees*. 



C. PALUMBUSj Linn. (European Wood Pigeon.) Upper 

 parts brownish-gray, the head, cheeks, throat, rump and upper 

 tail-coverts pure ashy, paler on the lower tail-coverts ; fore-neck 

 and breast vinaceous-ruddy, weaker on the belly, and albescent 

 towards the vent; nape and sides of the neck and shoulders 

 glossed with changeable green and reddish- purple, the former 

 predominating above, the latter below j and upon each side of the 

 neck a great patch of subdued white, in general largely developed, 

 very rarely reduced to a mere trace ; coverts forming the edge of 

 the wing and impending the winglet white, as is also the exte- 

 rior margin of each primary ; tail gray at base, becoming black- 

 ish at its tip. Bill orange, with a white mealiness at the tumid 

 base of its upper mandible; feet red, and irides light yellow. 

 Length 17 by 30 inches, and wing 9|^ inches. 



This well-known European species inhabits the north-western 

 Himalaya, as about Simla, and in the Alpine Punjab. 



C. (?) Elphinstonii : Ptilinopus Elphinstonii, Sykes, Proc. 

 Zool. Soc. 1832, p. 149 : a Carpophaga, apud G. R. Gray. 

 (Neilgherry Wood Pigeon.) " Upper parts fuscous-brown, 

 the head, neck and lower parts ashy ; nape black, the feathers 

 marked with a white spot at tip ; interscapularies ruddy ; neck 

 and breast glossed with emerald-green, the rump with ashy ; first, 

 second, third, fourth and fifth primaries having their outer web 

 emarginated. Irides ochre-yellow." Length 15 or 16 inches. 



1 have had no opportunity of examining this fine species, but 

 from the above description of its plumage, translated from Colonel 

 Sykes^s brief Latin definition, I cannot help doubting exceedingly 

 the propriety of arranging it as a Carpophaga, and as strongly 

 suspect that the present is its true systematic station f. Colonel 

 Sykes describes it to be ^' a rare bird in the Dukhun, met with 

 only in the dense woods of the ghauts. Not gregarious. Stony 

 fruit found in the stomach. Sexes alike. Flight very rapid. The 

 lateral skin of its toes is very much developed." Mr. Jerdon has 

 only noticed it " in the dense woods on the summit of the Neil- 

 gherries, in small parties, or single. It is a retired and wary 

 bird. I found various fruits," he adds, ^^ and small shells in its 

 stomach.^^ 



C. PULCHRicoLLis, Hodgsou (mentioned in Mr. G. R. Gray^s 



* It should be remarked, that the European C. anas is completely inter- 

 mediate to these two groups in its form, colouring, habits and nidification ; 

 breeding sometimes in the cavities of trees, sometimes in rabbit-burrows. 



f Mr. Bl5'th is right in this surmise ; C. Elphinstonii being a true Co- 

 lumba, not a Carpophaga. The lateral skin of the toes is not more deve- 

 loped than in C. palumbus. — H. E. S. 



