368 COLUMBID^. 



belief that the normal number of eggs laid by this Pigeon is only 

 one. This certainly is the case with Cahienas nicobarica, for I 

 must have examined at least a conple of dozen nests, and in no 

 single case was there more than one egg or one young one ; and I 

 have found that one egg was the usual number laid by Palumbm 

 elphitistonii, and I was informed by several convicts that they 

 usually obtain only one young one from the nests of the present 

 sj)ecies and those of 0. hicolor." 



The egg which Mr. Davison obtained is pure \^hite, a very 

 regular, moderately broad oval ; the shell smooth and satiny, but 

 with very little gloss. It measures 1'9 by 1-39. 



Carpophaga insignis (Hodgs.). The Bronze-hacked Imperial 



Pirjeon. 



Cavpopliaga insignis (Ho(I(/s.), Jerd. B. Bid. \\, p. 457 ; Hume, Rough 

 Draft N. 8f E. no. 7B>1.^ 



According to Mr. Hodgson this species breeds in the central 

 region of Nepal, building a large straggling nest of thin sticks 

 placed on some horizontal fork, and laying from May to July a 

 single pure-white eeg, one of which is figured as measuring 1'75 

 by 1-27. 



An egg of this species procured in Sikhim on the 14th July is a 

 broad, very regular oval. The texture of the shell is fine and 

 smooth, but there is not much gloss on the egg. It measures 1'72 

 by 1-28. 



Carpophaga cuprea, Jerd. Jerdons Imperial Phjeon. 

 Carpophaga cuprea, Jerd., Hume, Cat. no. 781 bis. 



Mr. r. W. Bourdillon writes from >Southern Travancore : — " On 

 the 9th of April my brother and myself happened to be passing 

 through some very dense iral-jungle (Besha travancorica) at an 

 elevation of about 4000 feet, when one of these Pigeons ( Carpo- 

 phaga cuprea) flew off her nest. The nest consisted of a very 

 rough platform of garcinia-twigs loosely put together in a tangled 

 mass of iral at about 20 feet from the ground. It contained a 

 single, rather round, glossy, purely white egg, which was very 

 hard-set." 



Mr. Iver Macpherson remarks : — " This bird breeds freely in the 

 forests of Mysore bordering the AVynaad, aud, as a rule, their 

 nests are not far from rivers or streams. 



" I have taken nests on the following dates, all in the above 

 forests : — 



" 1878, May 14th. Tresh egg. 

 1 880, March 21st. Egg newly laid. 

 „ April 27th. Egg hard-set. 

 „ 29th. Egg fresh. 



