INDIAN BLUE ROCE-PIGEON 139 



Both sexes share equally in the labour of constructing the nest, incubating 

 the eggs, and feeding the young. The latter process is carried out in the 

 same manner as by the domestic pigeon, the parent birds semi-digesting 

 the food and regurgitating it for the benefit of the young. In feeding, the 

 young bird thrusts its head nearly into the mouth of the parent engaged 

 in looking after it, the wJiole bill and face disappearing from view. The 

 young grow with great rapidity, and are nearly as big as their parents in 

 about three weeks. 



The eggs cannot in any way be discriminated from those of the European 

 Rock-Pigeon, or Rock-Dove, though they would seem to average a little 

 bigger. Hume's measurements of a series of sixty eggs gave an average of 

 1.45 in. ( = 35.7 mm.) by 1.12 in. ( = 28.4 mm.), and the extremes in length 

 as 1.20 in. ( = 30.4 mm.) to 1.65 in. ( = 41.4 mm.) and in breadth 1.02 in. 

 ( = 25.9 mm.) to 1.25 in. ( = 32.7 mm.). All the eggs I have measured 

 come within the range of variation of the above eggs, and the average is 

 exactly the same as Hume's. 



The normal shape is a long ellipse, oval or pointed eggs being very 

 exceptional. The texture is close and smooth, but not very fine, though 

 the surface is often highly glossed. 



The Indian Blue Rock-Pigeon is, like its European cousin, more 

 a bird of open country than of dense forest, but it is found practically 

 anywhere where there are suitable sites or buildings for it to build in, 

 and as it is a bird which easily adapts itself to circumstances, there 

 are not many districts from which it is altogether excluded. 



In all probability its original haunts were cliffs on rocky coasts, 

 and ravines and precipices in mountainous regions, from which it spread 

 gradually to quarries and ruined buildings deserted by man, and from 

 these again it in time ventured into the actual towns, villages, and forts 

 occupied by human beings. 



Jerdon says : " They are most partial to large buildings, such as 

 Churches, Pagodas, Mosques, Tombs, and the like ; frequently entering 

 the verandas of inhabited houses and breeding in the cornices. Holes 

 in walls of cities or towns, too, are favourite places, and, in some parts 

 of the coimtry, they prefer holes in wells, especially, I think, in 

 the west of India, the Deccan, etc. In default of such spots, they 

 will breed in crevices and cavities of rocks, caverns and sea-side cliffs, 

 and I have often noticed that they are particularly partial to rocky 

 cUffs by water-falls." 



Wherever found it congregates in colonies as great as the breeding 

 accommodation will permit of, and in some places it collects literally in 

 many thousands. A specially favoured place, and one referred to by 

 Jerdon, is the Gaissoppa Falls in southern India, which they frequent 



