Mr. E. Blyth's Drafts for a Fauna Indica. 107 



Catalogue of the specimens of Columbida in the British Museum). 

 (Ashy Wood Pigeon.) Considerably smaller than the two pre- 

 ceding species; and general colour dusky-gray, much paler and 

 faintly tinged with lake below, more or less whitish towards the 

 vent, and subdued white on the lower tail-coverts ; tail blackish ; 

 head, cheeks and ear-coverts pure light ashy, passing to whitish 

 on the throat ; the sides of the neck and breast brightly glossed 

 with the usual changeable green and reddish-pm'ple, the former 

 predominating ; and above this the feathers are somewhat rigid 

 and black at base, with broad isabelline tips whitish at the end, 

 forming a large patch on each side confluent behind. Corneous 

 portion of the bill apparently pale yellow, and legs probably pink, 

 but fading to amber in the dry specimen, of which colour are also 

 the claws. Length of wing 8^ to 9 inches. Common in the 

 wooded region of the eastern Himalaya. 



C. PUNICEA, Tickell, Journ. As. Soc. xi. 462*. (Pompadour 

 Wood Pigeon.) General colour deep vinaceous-ruddy, weaker 

 below, and most of the feathers margined with glossy changeable 

 green and amethystine-purple, the former colour prevailing on 

 the neck and sides of the breast, the latter elsewhere : whole top 

 of the head, including the occiput, whitish-gray ; alars and cau- 

 dals blackish ; the primaries tinged externally with gray ; upper 

 and lower tail-coverts nigrescent ; bill yellow at tip, its basal half 

 blackish in the dry specimen; '^irides orange with a red outer 

 circle; feet dull lake.^' Length about 16 inches, of wing 8 

 inches, and tail 7 inches. 



This handsome pigeon inhabits the hill forests of Central In- 

 dia, also those of Assam, and would appear to be tolerably com- 

 mon in the island of Ramree, Arracan. I have never seen it 

 from the Himalaya f. 



C.HoDGSONii, Vigors, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1832, p. 16 : C. nipa- 

 lensis, Hodgson, Journ. As. Soc. v, 122 J. (Speckled Wood 



* Type of Alsocomus, Tickell. 



t C. punicea. Length 16 inches by 2 feet spread; wing 8f inches. 

 Bill greenish-yellow, with basal half livid. Iris amber-yellow in an orange- 

 red circle. Legs and feet dull lake. The female is similar to the male, but 

 rather smaller and duller in plumage. This species is not uncommon to the 

 south of Singbhoom, going in small parties of four or five, and always along 

 the banks of rivers which are shaded by large forest-trees. Up and down 

 these noble avenues, which the green shades of mingling boughs above, and 

 the clear rippling stream below, preserve at all hours and seasons pleasantly 

 cool, these pigeons fly, rarely taking when disturbed to the more open tracts 

 distant from the stream. In January 1812 I killed five specimens on the 

 Bytarnee river in Singblioom. They were feeding principally on the jamoon. 

 These birds feed chiefly in the morning and again at evening, and during 

 the heat of the day roost on the uppermost branches of the huge derris trees, 

 common in that country. They are wary and difficult of approach. — T. 



X Type of Dendrotreron, Hodgson. 



8* 



