COLUMBIDAE 33/ 



Kegion, H. larvata of South Africa, H. hronzina of Abyssinia 

 and Shoa, H. principalis of Prince's Island, H. simplex of St. 

 Thomas, H. johnstoni of Nyassa-Land, and H. inornata of the 

 Cameroons, being all much alike. The first-mentioned — common 

 in woods near Cape Town^ — is plain brown, with green and 

 purple gloss on the crown and nape, a white forehead and throat, 

 and vinaceous breast with coppery reflexions. It is the Cinnamon 

 or Lemon Dove of the colonists, and feeds chiefly on berries, 

 obtained upon the ground. 



Group {c). — The third section of the Peristerinae is confined 

 to the Old World, and shews metallic blue or green wing-spots 

 or patches. Ocyphaps lophotes, the swift Crested Bronze-wing of 

 the interior of Australia, is found in flocks, especially near water, 

 and has a remarkable habit, when alighting, of erecting its long, 

 black crest and elevating its tail until they almost meet. It is 

 a grey bird, possessing bronzy-green wing-coverts tipped with 

 white, a metallic purple gloss on the secondaries, and peacock- 

 blue outer rectrices. Lophopliaps p>lmnifera of North -West 

 Australia, which has a western race, L. ferruginea, and a southern, 

 L. hucogaster, is a terrestrial species, frequenting creeks in the desert, 

 and running on the ground like a Quail. The nest is a mere 

 hole in the ground lined with a little grass ; the eggs are said 

 to be creamy-wliite. The Plumed Bronze-wing, as it is called, 

 has the general plumage and full crest pale cinnamon, the throat 

 white, with a black median stripe, a black gorget, a crescentic 

 band of grey on the chest with a black line below, and a few 

 purple spots on the secondaries. Geopliaps scripta, the Partridge 

 Bronze-wing or Squatter of North-West and East Australia, has 

 a peculiar habit of squatting on the ground or on the branches of 

 any tree in which it takes refuge. It is light brown above and 

 grey below, with curious black and white markings on the sides 

 of the head and throat ; the wing-coverts have pale tips, and 

 the innermost of the greater series greenish-purple outer webs. 

 G. smithi of North -West Australia is browner. From the 

 same parts comes Petrophassa alhipennis, which frequents rocks, 

 though its nest has not yet been recorded ; it is a reddish-brown 

 bird with greyer head, grey centres to the feathers, and concealed 

 purplish spots on the wing-coverts; the throat is black and white, 

 the primaries brown with white bases. Histrioniphap)s liistrionica, 

 of the interior and North-West of Australia, has brown upper 



VOL. IX z 



