(3i) ALSOCOMUS ELPHINSTONII (Sykes). 



THE NILGIEI WOOD-PIGEON. 



Ptilinopus elphinstonii Sykes, P.Z.S. 1832, p. 149 ; Jerdon, Madr. J.L.S., 

 XII p. 11. 



Columha elphinstonii Blyth, J.A.S.B., XIV p. 866 : Jerdon, 111. I. Orn., 

 pi. 48 ; Salvador!, Cat. B.M., XXI p. 304 ; Sharpe, Hand-List, I p. 71 ; 

 Oates, Cat. Eggs B.M., I p. 91. 



Carpophaga elphinstonii Gray, Gen. B., II p. 469. 



Palumbus elphinstonii Blyth, Cat. B.M.A.S.B., p. 233 ; Gould, B. Asia, VI 

 pi. 57 ; Jerdon, B.I., III p. 465 , Hume, Nests and Eggs, III p. 498 ; Fair- 

 bank, Str. Feath., IV p, 262 ; Bourdillon, ib., IV p. 404 ; Fairbank, ib. 

 V p. 408 ; Ball, ib., p. 418 ; Hume, ib., VIII p. 109 ; id.. Cat. no. 786 

 Vidal, Str. Feath., IX p. 74 ; Butler, ib., p. 419 ; Davison, ib., X p. 407 

 Macgregor, ib., p. 440 ; Terry, ib., p. 479 ; Barnes, B. Bom., p. 288 

 Oates, in Hume's Nests and Eggs, 2nd ed., II p. 347 ; Davidson 

 J.B.N.H.S., XII p. 62. 



Alsocomus elphinstonii Blanf., Av. Brit. I., IV p. 36 ; Betham, J.B.N.H.S., 

 XIV p. 620. 



Vernacular Names. None recorded. 



Description. — Adult male. Head above, nape, and sides of neck dove- 

 grey, faintly glossed with iridescent emerald-green ; fore-head, sides of head, 

 and lores the same, but paler and tinged -n-ith pink ; hind-neck with a large 

 patch of black feathers tipped white and vritli tiny metallic edging below 

 these tips, the lowermost feathers of this black-and-white patcli glossed with 

 green ; back brick-red brown, gradually getting more brown and less red 

 towards the rump ; the upper-back, and base of hind-neck brilliantly glossed 

 with metallic copper-purple, showing green in places in some lights ; the 

 purple gloss extends down the back in a lesser degree, but not on to the 

 scapulars. Rump, upper taU-coverts and tail blackish-bro«Ti, the feathers 

 of the rump obsoletely edged with metallic green. Wings dark brown, in 

 very iine specimens the whole of the visible portions of the smaller wing- 

 coverts are the same colour as the back and tlie other wing-coverts, except 

 the greater primary-coverts, are edged with the same. In some specimens 

 also the scapulars and innermost secondaries are powdered with this colour, 

 giving them a general reddish hue. 



Chin and centre of throat whitish, neck below and breast ashy-grey 

 or grey tinted with vinous, and with all the feathers edged with metallic 

 emerald-green, pale and sometimes scarcely visible ; on the abdomen the 

 grey becomes paler and more ashy or vinous, and on the flanks, axillaries 

 and under aspect of the wing a good deal darker ; under tail-coverts 

 brownish-ashy. 



Colours of soft parts. " Corneous part of bill and claws horny-white ; 



