TYPICAT. PIGEONS. 



257 



never visiting the earth ; this, however, I should regard 

 as rather an extreme statement. The same author, 

 after observing that it is " almost wholly confined to 

 the high forest," continues : "Although in the month 

 of September, if certain berries are ripe, it may also 

 be found upon open places in the vicinity of the 

 forest."* It is inconceivable that any number of 

 pigeons in a clearing would never alight on the earth. 



Mr. M. J. Xiooll says (Th- Ibis, 1904, p. 566):— 

 " This fine Pig»on is abundant in the hi<;h woods of 

 Grenad.i. I obtained three examples at Grand Etaug. 

 They fo«l on the 'large datc-slmpe'd seeds of a palm. 

 They are excee<ling'.v wary. I was told that during the 

 eniptioii of the Soul'riere at St. Vincent, enormous flocks 

 of tihesci Pigeons arrived at Grenada and stopped tor 

 .^oiue weeks, and then dis.ippsared. The note of this 

 spetiies is a harsh 'coo.' " 



Two examples of this -sijecies v,-eTe- purchased by the 

 London ZooilDgical Snciety in 1868; tour were deposited 

 at the Gardt^ns m 1870. six were purchased in 1873, 

 and one in 1875; in tlie two succeeding years it was 

 lired tit the Gardens; euibseciueir.tly other specimfins 

 were presented and purchased, and in 1886 it was again 

 bred. According to Russ it is rare in the Gennan 

 market. 



Specious Pigeon (Columha spcciosa). 



Back, riunp, and le.-ser upper wing-coverts maroon 

 tingel with purple; neck-feathers with regidar dark 

 luetalli'c gi-een borders, more or less shot with violet ; 

 those of the upper part with siib-tenninal whit© spots, 

 but the feathers of the lower neck without spots and 

 cliestnut in the middle ; flights brown, the primaries 

 with naiTow paler margins ; longeir upper tail-coverts 

 brown ; tail brownish -black ; head vinous chestnut ; 

 lireast dull vinaceous Avith darker edges to the feathers ; 

 mi<kUe of alxlomeu. \'ent, and under tail -coverts 

 white, with dusky edges to the feathers; under wing- 

 covei'ts greyi-'h-brown, with a more or Jess vinoxis tinge ; 

 bill and feet yeillowisili ; irides dark brown. Female 

 duller in colouring, the maroon of the upper parts re- 

 pl-iced by brown. Hab. , " Mexico and through Central 

 America to Colombia, Guiana, Brazil, and Peru" 

 (Salvadori). 



Mr. W. A. Foi-b3s speaks of this as one of the species 

 tt'hich a'Kiuinds in the fcre'sts of Xorth-Eastern Brazil 

 when the fruits are ripe ; their native name is 

 "Gallegas" (cf. The Ihh. 1881, p. 318). 



Tlio first example of this piigeon exhibited at Regent's 

 Pn-k was purchased in 1868, a second was added in 

 1871. and five others in 1676 : others hive been purchased 

 siilisei|ue.ntly. Tl.e Anist^rd.T.u Gardens secured it in 

 1885 ; but. according to Russ (1889) hitherto these are 

 the only Zoological Gardens which have possessed it. 



Cuban Pigeon (Columba inornata). 

 Upper hack, scapulars, lesser and greater wing-coverts 

 and inner secondaries brownish-grey; median coverts 

 washed with chestnut ; anterior and greater coverts with 

 well-defined whit© borders ; primaries grejT.sh-birown, 

 with naiTOw pale edges to outer weibs ; lower back, 

 rump, and upper tail-coverts leaden gi'ey ; tail dark 

 leaden-grey, rounded ; head, neck, and under surface 

 vinaceous puqde, the chin more or lees whitish ; sides, 

 under surface of wings, and imder tail-coverts deaden 

 grey ; bill black or hom-coloured ; feet cai-mine-red ; 

 irides with a leaden gi'ey inner ring, a browni.sh central 



• I quote this from Russ. so that the actual wordfi, though 

 not the seree, may diflfer ©lightly from the original. 



ring, and an ochre-yellow «>uter ring ; edges of eyelids 

 and naked orbital skin carmine-red. Female rather 

 smaller and duller. Hab., Greater Antilles. 



Gund'lach found tlie nest of this pigeon in May. As 

 usual it was built in a tree, constructed of twigs, anil 

 contained two white eggs. 



In his " Field Notss on the Birds of San Domingo " 

 (The Ihis, 1897, pp. 336. 337), Dr. C. Christy says :— 

 " At the he:xd of Saniana Bay there are well-recogniised 

 Pigeon months, June, -July and August, and during 

 these months the natives make almost daily excursions 

 fi-om Sanchez to the mangrove-swamps, where the 

 Pigeons are in tens of thousands. They load and fire 

 as fast as their antiquated muzzle-loaddng appliances 

 will pei-mit, and com© home sometimes with their boat 

 literally laden with Pigeons, which they sell for 10 cents 

 per couple. These are delicious eating at this season if 

 propenly cooked. 



" I made several excursions into the swamp after 

 Pigeons, and one day, June 25, I shot as many «s 120, 

 mostly on the wing, in about three :houi«. It is only 

 necessary to put on a pair of waders or top-boots and 

 tike one's stand in the best open spac-e onie can find 

 among the taUest mangrove trees. After a dozeoi or so 

 have fallen, some shot as they fly over and others as 

 they settle for a moment on the tops of the treeis, th© 

 most difficult work of the day begins, that of wading 

 round to lock for them. Unless a native is emi)loyed 

 to retrieve them, one has to olimb through the network 

 of wet and slippery aerial mangrove-roots, sometimes 

 sinking into the black mud and water up to one's middle, 

 whiile legions of small crabs, and some big ones with 

 legs a foot long, recede and disappear behind each root 

 or up each .stem as one approaohes, to say nothing of the 

 clouds of sandflies and mosquitoes. 



" When all that can b© found are picked up, one 

 reitums to one's post, and t.h© sihooting goes on once 

 more, till soifficient are shot again to make it worth 

 while to collect them." 



Two specimerts of this sipecies were purchased for th© 

 London Zoological Gardens in 1868, but it is probable 

 thail, its very abundance is the 'cause of its rarity in the 

 market, it being thought that so common a bii'd is 

 hardly worth th© trouble of capturing. 



Gosse, who confomided this with the next species, 

 says "("Birds of Jamaica," pp. 296-298) :~" The Blue 

 Pigeon is found 'both on the mountains and in the low- 

 lands. On the former it seems les« to affect the deep 

 forest than such wood.? ;us skirt cuiltivaited gi-ound. 

 When the purple berries of the Phytolacca are ripe, 

 about the end of the year, these pigeons flock in con- 

 siderable numbers to feed at dawn and at evening. 

 About the same time they are numerous in the lowland.s, 

 for I have found them plentiful in the large morass 

 that extends along the shore from Crabpond to Parker's 

 IJay. They were flying about in pairs for the most 

 part among the black mangrove trees, on whose seeds 

 they were probably feeding. But I found in the 

 stomachs of those which I shot the white blossoms of 

 a species of mistletoe which is abundant tliere, and 

 in one the bean-like seeds of, as I believe, the madjo- 

 bitter (Picmmnia). Early in February I visited the 

 mangrove woods of Mount Edgecumbe morass to seek 

 these birds. They were rather niunerous, but alighted 

 only on the summits of the tallest trees. Finding that 

 they were very shy, I seated myself, and remained 

 quietly watching. Thus I obtained several successive 

 shots, as they appeared to come round to the spot 

 periodically, perhaps once in half an hour. Two or 

 three were" in company, and as they flew from tree-top 

 to tree-top their movements were announced by a 



R 



