30 Indian Doves. 



attacked; they seem to rej^ard tree-pies as their arch-enemies. 

 In this tliey are justified, as the ])ie is an incorrij^ible etj;"g"-lifter. 



The sittins^- bird, when flushed by a human beins^-. some- 

 times flutters on the i^round as thouj^h it had an injured wing. 

 This is not a dehberate sham, as it takes place sometimes when 

 the bird cannot be seen by the intruder. It is merely a series 

 of movements caused by intense excitement or great anger. 



The doves described above do not ascend the hills to any 

 great altitude. I have never seen the red turtle-dove in the 

 Himalayas, and I would put the limit of the little brown dove 

 at some 3,000 feet, and that of the other two at about 6,000: 

 thus they are not seen at the average hill-station. The common 

 dove of the West Himalayan stations is the Indian Turtle Dove 

 (T. ferrago) and that of the eastern ranges the Rufous Turtle 

 Dove {T . orientalis). As these are the only doves likely to be 

 seen at the various sanitaria, detailed description is not 

 necessary. The Indian turtle-dove may be likened to a ring- 

 dove in which the black half-collar is replaced by a black-and- 

 grey chess-board on each side of the neck. The rufous 

 turtle-dove is like a large edition of the little brown dove, 

 having the sides of the neck grey with numerous black patches. 

 Ar Ouetta the European Turtle Dove (T . coniniM)iis) may be 

 seen; this is like a little brown dove, but it has on the neck black 

 and white spots. 



" A FEATHERED EXQUISITE." 



The Bronze-winged or Emerald Dove (Chalcof^Jiaps 

 if'dica) is one of the most beautiful of the doves. The cock 

 has a grey head with a white forehead and eyebrow. His back 

 and wings are glistening emerald in some lights and bronze in 

 others. The lower plumage is pale pinky brown. The middle 

 t^il feathers are dark brown, and the outer ones grey, with a 

 black cross-bar near the tip. The bill and legs are brilliant 

 red. The hen is nearly as gaily dressed as the cock. She 

 differs chiefly in the colouring of the head; this is brown, 

 except for the grey forehead and eyebrows. Its size is that of 

 the little brown dove. Its call is a deep-toned but soft, plaintive 

 ceo. It feeds chiefly on berries and seeds. It is said to be 

 fairly common in the forests of most parts of India, also in well 

 wooded gardens in Calcutta. The only parts of the country 



