44 Birds of Gamhia. 



it nearly always remains hung up, gripping by its feet for some 

 considerable time, though it may 1)e quite dead and the grip entirely 

 due to muscular contraction. All the nests I liave seen have been 

 in Tabu trees (a large-leaved evergroen), and ]"tlared among the 

 leaves at the extreme end of tlie wide-spreading l)rnnr-hos, generally 

 about 12 feet from the ground, Avhere it sways about with every 

 breeze, but is comparatively safe fi'om mai'auding animals, owing 

 to its insecure pcjsitioii among the thiu weak terminal liranches. 

 The lien sits vei'y closely and se(uns not a wliit tlisttu'bed by 

 people continually passing underneatli, aS haj)pens, wlioi the nest, 

 as is so often the case, is placed in a tree round which the huts 

 of -a .Commissioner 'is conipouii<l .•irn built. 



The Green I'igeons arc essentially arboreal in tlieir habits 

 and haunt the higher liranches of big trees, though tlioy may be 

 occasionally tempted to lower ones by I'ipc fruit when all tliat on 

 the upper branches is finished, but I think that they rarely come 

 right down to the ground, — the natives say they never do, even to 

 drink — and certainly I have never seen one there unless wounded 

 or dead Their food consists almost entirely of the fruit of ditferent 

 trees, particularly of the " Shoto " and " Kolibo," two kinds of 

 wild fig, many of which grow to a consideralile height. In one of 

 these when full of idpe fi'uit one is nearly always siu'c of linding 

 a party of Cri-cen I^igeuns feeding. 1 used to think that they ate 

 nothing but fi'uit, but in XovenilitM', 1 '.)()."), 1 sliol si'\-e!'al with 

 their crops full of " Basso," which is one of the commonly grown 

 native millets and whicli is very similar to what is known at home 

 as " Dharri," and since then in most years 1 luive often found the 

 same at that season, although tlie biixls Avere shot going to, from, 

 or on one of these wild lig trees. At this timi^ (*f yeai' tlie " Ikisso 

 is just getting idpe and ready foi' cutting and no doubt is still suffici- 

 ently soft and succulent to apjieal to a. friiil -eatei-'s palate; later 

 on in the year there is never any corn of any soid in their crops, 

 which only contain the seeds and other debris of Inish-fiaiits. The 

 adults are rather shy and wary biids, thougii they are easy to shoot 

 if one waits for them undei- ;i tree full of fruit and tires just as 

 they arrive and are about to alight. When feeding among the leaves 

 their colours blend so well with their siin-oundiim's thai they arc 

 most difficult to see, while the young with tlieii- more uiiiro[-iii green 

 plumage are even more hard to lo(,'ate, though when spotted are 

 very easy to shoot, as they are mir-li less sus|)icii:us tiian tlie (>I(1 

 ones and will return again and again to llieir feast, in spile of 

 losing one or more of their number at every shot. 



The note of these Pigeons is a peculiar one, a sort of chiudcling 

 laugh, not very easy to imitate, but oiu'c heard never forgotten or 

 to be confused with that of any other bird, and most useful as a 

 guide to their wherealiouts. It may more (;,■ less be I'l^pi-eseiiled 

 thus: "Boo-WIioo; whu, wliu, whup," the last short note being 



