BAR-TAILED CUCEOO-DOVE 239 



also intermediate in colour, grading from one extreme to the other. Upper- 

 breast lilac like the shoulders, but the bars of black always less apparent 

 and in old birds often entirely absent, and with the metallic sheen covering 

 this portion of the plumage as on the upper-back ; lower-breast more dull 

 in tint and with no gloss, gradually changing into buff on the abdomen and 

 under tail-coverts. Wing-coverts and innermost secondaries like the back, 

 primaries and outer secondaries dull deep brown. 



Colours of soft parts. Bill deep lead-colour, almost black ; irides pink, 

 with an inner ring of very pale blue, eyelids fleshy-purple and narrow orbital- 

 ring grey ; legs dull purplish-red, with the claws black. 



" Legs and feet are pinkish-brown or brownish-red " (Davison). 



Measurements. About 16 in. ( = 406.4 mm.) ; wing 7 in. ( = 177.8 mm.) 

 to almost 8 in. ( = 203.2 mm.), and averaging about 7.6 in. ( = 193 mm.); 

 tail about 8 in. ( = 203.2 mm.) ; bill at front 0.55 in. ( = 13.9 mm.), and 

 from gape 1.0 in. ( = 25.4 mm.) ; tarsus about 0.66 in. ( = 16.7 mm.). 



This species varies a good deal in size, and young birds probably do not 

 attain their full dimensions until well into their second year. 



Weight of old male in fat condition 12 oz., average weight about 10 oz., 

 or rather less than this. A male weighed by Hume was only 9 oz. 



Ad^ilt female. The upper-plumage like that of the male, but lighter, 

 and the upper-surface of the central rectrices much more boldly barred with 

 rufous ; the sheen on the shoulders is less, and that on the head very slight, 

 and the crown itself is more a brown than lilac-grey ; the fore-head, cheeks, 

 and sides of the tliroat are more or less barred with dark brown, the bars 

 sometimes extending on to the throat in the younger birds, and much fainter 

 everywhere in very old individuals. The rest of the plumage below is barred 

 buff and dark brown or brownish-black, the latter colour being tlie prevailing 

 one on the breast and flanks, but the buff increasing gradually in extent 

 until the abdomen and under tail-coverts are almost entirely of this colour. 

 The under aspect of the tail is, like that of the male, a dull brown-grey, with 

 curious bars of rufous, looking as if a thick pigment had been laid on with 

 a paint-brush. 



Very old females often have a pronounced gloss on the breast, this showing 

 most as a beautiful green on the dark bars wlien held facing the light. 



Colours of soft parts. The same as in the male. 



Measurements. The female is slightly smaller than the male, the average 

 wing-measurements of twenty-seven individuals being 7.3 in. ( = 185.4 mm.). 

 They are also considerably lighter, weighing only from 8 oz. to 10 oz., and 

 averaging about 9 oz., or rather less. Davison gives the weights as 7 oz. 

 only in Stray Feathers, but his data tickets give heavier weights. 



Young male. Like the female but with no gloss, and barred throughout 

 on head and nape. 



^Vhen nearly adult the males are still heavily barred on the chest, and 

 do not appear to lose this barring until the autumn of their second year. 

 There is also a considerable amount of rufous edging to the wing-coverts 

 until the bird is in its second year. 



Distribution. The Bar-tailed Cuckoo-Dove is found throughout the 

 Himalayas from Simla in the west, tlirough Kashmir, Nepal, Bhutan, and all 

 the Mishmi and Abor ranges north of the Brahmapootra River into Burma. 

 South of the Brahmapootra it is exceedingly common from the Khasia and 

 Garo Hills in the extreme west to the various Naga ranges in Dibrugarh 



