(5) OSMOTRERON POMPADORA AFFINIS (Jerdon). 

 THE GREY-FRONTED GREEN PIGEON. 



Vinago aromatica (part) Jerdon, Madr. J.L.S., XII p. 13 (1840), nee 

 Columba aromatica Gm. 



Vinago affinis Jerdon, I.e. ?. 



Vinago malabarica Jerdon, 111. Orn., Ill, letterpress pi. xxiv (1845) ; Blyth, 

 Cat. B.M.A.S.B. p. 229 ; id., J.A.S.B., XXI p. 56. 



Treron malabarica Blyth, J.A.S.B., XIV p. 852 ; id., Cat., p. 229. 



Osmotreron malabarica Bp., Con. Av., II p. 13 ; Jerdon, B.I., p. 450 ; Hume, 

 Nests and Eggs, p. 493 ; Fairbank, Str. Feath., IV p. 261 ; Hume and 

 Bourd, ib., p. 403 ; Hume, ib., p. 424 ; id.. Cat. no. 775 ; Fairbank 

 Str. Feath., V p. 408 ; Vidal, ib., IX p. 74 ; Butler, ib., p. 419; Davidson, 

 ib., X p. 406 ; Barnes, B. Bom., p. 286 ; Gates, in Hume's Nests and 

 Eggs, 2nd ed., II p. 375; Salvadori, Cat. B.M., XXI p. 45; Sharpe, 

 Hand-List, I p. 54 ; Gates, Cat. Eggs B.M., I p. 82 ; Barnes J.B.N.H.S., 

 V p. 329 ; Davidson, ib., XII p. 61. 



Osmotreron afflnis Wal., Trans. Z.S., IX p. 212 ; Blanf., Avi. Brit. I., 

 IV p. 8 ; Fergusson J.B.N.H.S., XVI p. 1. 



Vernacular Name. Poda-putsa Guwa, Tel. 



Description. — Adult male. Similar to 0. p. phayrei, but the upper-parts 

 in this subspecies are considerably deeper in colour, in fact, more a purple- 

 than a chestnut-maroon ; there is never any orange on the breast, and m both 

 males and females the grey of the head is duller and darker, and ill defined 

 from the surrounding green. In addition to this, the male has the shoulder 

 of the ^ving very much blacker and not mixed with grey. 



Adult female. The female affinis differs from the male in the same way 

 as that of phayrei differs from the male of that subspecies. 



As I have already pomted out, all the differences between this subspecies 

 and the others is one of degree only. Thus, there are some otherwise typical 

 specimens of phayrei which have the heads dull and the grey ill defined ; 

 here and there are some with no orange on the breast and, whilst in some 

 males of phayrei the back is nearly as dark as the typical affinis, in this latter 

 subspecies there are a few which have their backs and scapulars quite as 

 pale as the normal phayrei. 



Colours of the soft parts are the same as in phayrei. 



Measurements. " Length about 10.75 ; tail 3.6 ; wing 5.75 ; tarsus .8 ; 

 bill from gape .9 " (Blanford). 



This is a decidedly smaller bird, on an average, than the last, though 

 the measurements overlap and bkds from Khandesh seem a good deal bigger 

 than the smallest phayrei, but all over the area they inhabit there is a 

 considerable range in their extremes of size. 



