CEYLON PIGEONS AND GAME BIRDS. 349 
(3) Phabine (Bronze-wing Pigeon). 
Twelve feathers in tail; size small; wing under 6 inches ; 
back and wing coverts metallic green ; bill red. 
(4) Columbine (Rock Pigeons, Wood Pigeons, and Doves). 
Twelve feathers in tail; size variable ; large forms, in which 
the wing is 8 inches or over, have a glossy upper plumage or 
a metallic lustre on the neck feathers ; in smaller forms the 
plumage is dull-coloured and lustreless. 
Sub-family Treronine. 
Green Pigeons. 
The Green Pigeons may be distinguished at once by their 
plumage, which is mainly a soft yellowish-green, and by their 
call, which is a low melodious whistle, not a coo. 
They associate in flocks, and live almost entirely in trees, 
seldom descending to the ground. The soles of their feet are 
well adapted for perching, being flat, and considerably broader 
than the upper sides of the toes ; the tarsus is short, and has 
the upper portion feathered. They feed entirely on the fruit 
of various trees and shrubs, and are themselves very good for 
the pot. 
Three species are found in Ceylon : one, a very rare straggler, 
belongs to the genus Crocopus, in which the sexes are almost 
alike ; the other two, our common Green Pigeons, are both 
members of the genus Osmotreron, in which the males differ 
distinctly from the females in their colouration. 
Rough Key to Ceylon Species. 
A.—Legs and feet yellow ; wing 7°25. 
Crocopus chlorogaster (Southern Green Pigeon), 
B.—Legs and feet red ; wing 5°6: genus Osmotreron. 
(a) Middle tail feathers green ; males with a maroon 
mantle. 
O. pompadora (Pompadour Green Pigeon). 
(b) Middle tail feathers slate-gray ; males with a 
breast of lilac and orange. 
O, bicincta (Orange-breasted Green Pigeon). 
