CHALCOPHAPS. 363 



Dr. Jerdon says : — " I found its nest on the Khasia Hills, at 

 about 4500 feet, on trees, at a moderate elevation." 



From Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes : — " In June I found four 

 nests of this Dove, all with only one egg in each. They were of 

 the usual construction, and placed in trees from 10 to 20 feet up, 

 at elevations of from 250O to 4500 feet above the sea.'' 



Major Wardlaw liamsay writes from the neighbourhood of 

 Tonghoo : — " I found a nest containing two white eggs at 4000 

 feet in the Karen Hills on the I'^th March. The eggs measured 

 roughly 1'4 by 1 inch." 



The eggs seem to run rather longer than those of the true Doves, 

 and seem to have a tendency to be nearly equally pointed at both 

 ends. The eggs are white, with a very faint creamy tinge, and 

 one of them has, strange to say, a number of small olive-yellow 

 specks and spots sprinkled pretty evenly over its whole surface. 

 These are doubtless accidental stains accruing after the egg was 

 laid, but they will not wash out. 



The eggs have only a moderate amount of gloss, and measure 

 1*35 in length by 0*95 to 1-0 in breadth. 



Subfamily PHAPIDIN^. 



Chalcophaps indica (Linn.). The Emerald Dove. 



Chalcophaps indicus (Linn.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 484 ; Hume, Eouqh 

 Draft N.S)-E. no. im. 



The Emerald Dove is essentially a bird of the forest and jungle, 

 and will never be found at any great distance from these, though 

 it may straggle a^\•ay from its home for a score of miles during 

 the day. 



In suitable localities it breeds throughout our Indian Empire, 

 the Nicobar birds separated by Bonaparte as C. aiujusta not being, 

 as the large series I there procured conclusively proved, in any way 

 different from the Continental form. 



Throughout India it ascends well-wooded or jungle-clad hills to 

 elevations of from 3000 to 6000 feet, according to locality, and is 

 in most of these hills as much a permanent resident as in the 

 forests that lie around their bases. 



The earliest nest that I have ever taken was found near Dehra 

 on the 25th Februajy ; the latest I secured at Bheem Tal in the 

 height of the rains on the 2nd July. 



I suspect, but do not certainly know the fact, that they have 

 two broods. 



The nests are placed in some dense bush or low thickly-foliaged 

 tree in forest or jungle, rarely at any great height from the ground, 

 usually just out of reach, but at times quite low. They are more 

 regular saucers than tliose of other Doves, composed of roots, 

 grass, or twigs, but comparatively neat, and, although devoid of 



