140 BULLETIN 186, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



tail coverts bright red; the imderparts bright yellow-green, with a 

 suffusion of blue on the lower throat ; the undersurface of the remiges 

 and rectrices bright blue. 



Order COLUMBIFORMES 

 Family COLUMBIDAE 



SPHENURUS APICAUDA APICAUDA (Blyth) 



Indian Pin-tailed Green Pigeon 



Tr[eron] apicauda "Hodgson" Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, vol. 14, pt. 2, 

 1845 [=1846], p. 854 ("South-eastern Himalayas and hill ranges of Assam — 

 common at Darjeeling"). 



Sphenocercus apicauda, Gyldenstolpe, Kungl. Svenska Vet.-Akad. Handl., 1916, 

 p. 151 (Khun Tan, Pang Hua Phong) ; Ibis, 1920, p. 740 (Khun Tan, Pang 

 Hua Phong). — Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1931, p. 166 (Doi 

 Suthep) . 



Sphenocercus apicauda apicauda, Chasen and Boden Kloss, Journ. Siam Soc. 

 Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1932. p. 232 (Doi Suthep). 



Sphenocercus apicaudus apicaudus, de Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila- 

 delphia, 1934, p. 272 (Doi Chiang Dao). — Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. 

 Hist. Suppl., 1936, p. 85 (Doi Suthep). 



The Indian race of the pin -tailed pigeon is an uncommon resident 

 in the evergreen forests above 4,000 feet on the high peaks of the west- 

 ern provinces. In addition to the localities listed above, it occurs on 

 Doi Ang Ka, where I have seen it at 5,300 feet. 



Nothing has been recorded of the habits of this bird in our districts. 

 It is doubtless a frugivore that escapes notice by keeping to the tops 

 of high trees, where it is well concealed by leaves. 



De Schauensee has noted that a male had the irides salmon-pink 

 with a blue inner ring ; the orbital skin dull dark blue ; the apical half 

 of the bill pale blue, the basal half and adjacent skin very brilliant and 

 intense light blue ; the feet and toes brilliant scarlet ; the claws whitish 

 horn. One of Gyldenstolpe's specimens had the irides whitish red; 

 the orbital skin pale blue ; the bill green ; the feet and toes pink. 



The adult male has the head, neck, rump, and upper tail coverts 

 bright yellow-green; the remaining upperparts bright olive-green, 

 washed with gray on the upper back ; the tail soft gray ; the wing with 

 a narrow pale yellow band separating the black apical half from the 

 bright olive-green basal half; the underparts light yellow-green, 

 washed on the breast with orange-pink; the under tail coverts dull 

 chestnut. The female is similar but has the colors generally less bright 

 and wholly lacks the orange wash on the breast. 



This species is readily separable from all other northern fruit- 

 pigeons by its tail : the two central feathers taper to a point and ex- 

 tend several inches beyond the next longest pair. 



