104 BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 



yards of the birds, lie will see them cautiously walking about, 

 craning their necks in all directions in their endeavours to locate 

 the enemy. Should the observer venture closer the birds will rise 

 with a sharp whirr as their strong wings beat the air, and will fly 

 swiftly and erratically for a short distance before pitching on to 

 the ground. There are times when one will flush the bird from 

 almost under one's feet. The rapid and erratic flight makes the 

 bird a difficult mark for all but old hands with the gun. Heavily 

 to modei'ately heavily timbered country seems to be its favourite 

 haunts, but it frequently may be found in very lightly timbered 

 tracts. As an aviary bird it does well and breeds moderately 

 M'ell. 



BRUSH BRONZE-WING PIGEON 



(Phaps elegans, Temm.) 



Male. — Forehead yellowish; crown of the head grey; a broad 

 chestnut band commences behind the eyes and unites at the occi- 

 put; hhid-neck and upper back chestnut; lower back, rump, 

 upper tail coverts, and scapulars olive-grey; centre tail feathers 

 olive-grey, basal half of next two pairs brownish-chestnut, rest 

 grey; all the lower feathers have a subterminal band of blackish; 

 upper wing coverts olive-grey, outer ones tinged with chestnut; 

 inner median and greater wing coverts metalhc green on outer 

 webs, tips grey; quills brown; a black line on the lores; upper 

 cheeks and upper ear coverts whitish ; lower cheeks and under 

 surface olive-grey ; a triangular spot of chestnut on the throat. 

 Dimensions in mm.: — Length, 330; bill, 15; wing, 160; tail, 

 115; tarsus, 24. 



Female. — Very similar to male. 



Young. — Greyish-brown. 



Nest. — A platform of twigs similar to the Bronze-wing, but 

 usually placed in a shady gully. 



Eggs. — Clutch two; elliptical in shape; texture fine; surface 

 glossy; colour white. Dimensions in mm. of a clutch:— (1) 31 

 X 24, (2) 32 X 25. 



Breeding Season. — October to December, or even Januai'y. 



Geographical Distribution. — Tasmania, King and several 

 other Bass Strait islands; also Austraha in general. 



Observations. — The advance of civilization is responsible for 

 the appreciable decrease in the numbers of the Brush Bronze- 

 wing Pigeon during the last decade. To a certain extent the 

 same localities as are favoured by the Bronze-wing Pigeon are 

 frequented by this species; the difference lies in the fact that 

 the former often frequents lightly timbered tracts, but the latter 

 rarely, if ever, does so. The Brush Bronze-wing is somewhat of 

 a melancholy, retiring nature; it has not the dash and vigour of 

 the Bronze-wing. It contents itself with quietly wandering in the 



