304 Ma'. E. L. Layard's Rambles in Ceyion. 



T. bicincta keeps to the high trees, on the berries of which it 

 feeds, the teak being a very favourite one ; they fly in large flocks, and 

 I have frequently, when firing into a tree at one, killed half a dozen, 

 which I never saw till they fell. They breed in lofty trees, making 

 a rough nest of sticks, and lay two white eggs. Their note is a modu- 

 lated plaintive whistle, like that of all our other Trerons. 



Chalcophaps indica is a ground dove, and is rarely seen on trees ; 

 it is abundant about Colombo, and extends into the Kandy or Hill 

 District and as far as Kodally-kallu, northward, but I never saw it 

 at Pt. Pedro or round Jaffna. It is very abundant in the southern 

 province ; its plaintive lowing cry may be heard morning and even- 

 ing from almost every thicket. 



Turtur suratends. Lath., is not uncommon about Colombo, but 

 affects open lands and the palmirah topes of the northern province ; 

 there its numbers are prodigious, and I have often killed twenty-eight 

 or thirty of a morning between six o'clock and nine, when, utterly 

 tired of the unvarying round of seer- fish and tough chicken (all we 

 could get to eat in our station), my wife has begged for a few pigeons 

 to make a pie. I got to like these pigeon-pies, and was so much 

 benefited by the exercise it gave me, that at length rarely a week 

 passed without my sallying out once or twice to make up a bag, and 

 yet I never saw the number of these birds diminish. They and Tur- 

 tur risorius, L., are the commonest northern pigeons ; the latter, 

 however, abides more on the open lands and low jungle, and from its 

 partiality to the Euphorbia hedges and jungles, is called by the Ta- 

 muls Cally-prad, Cally being the native name for the Euphorbia, 

 and prad (the ad sounded as the final letter in papa) their name for 

 pigeons of all kinds. In one palmirah tope near the village Warrany 

 I discovered the elegant little T. humilis, Tem. ; this species has not, 

 that I am aware of, been found elsewhere, nor does it extend a mile 

 on each side of its location. All three of these turtles were building 

 their nests in the same tope, similarly constructed of twigs slightly 

 laid together ; their eggs the same in colour and shape and only 

 distinguishable by their size. T. risorius and T. suratensis are also 

 found along the western coast as soon as the traveller comes to the 

 Euphorbia jungles, and they extend all roiind thence northward and 

 eastward to Hambantotte, where T. risorius ceases. 



Treron bicincta begins about a day's journey to the southward of 

 Anarajahpoora, and extends up to the ford at Elephant Pass, a few 

 straggling over ; but in the peninsula it is replaced by T. chlorigas- 

 ter, Blyth ; this however never extends elsewhere, and is I believe a 

 migratory coast bird, only visiting us when the banian-trees are laden 

 with their scarlet fruit. 



Down the central road from Tangutta, as far as Matelle, Blyth's 

 Carpophaga pusilla is not uncommon, but is a shy and wary bird. 

 On the western coast I frequently saw a pigeon which I feel sure is 

 Alsocomus puniceus. Tick., and Kelaart has procured Palumbus El- 

 phinstonii, Sykes, at Newera Ellia ; and now this long list is done, 

 and I suppose you are nearly tired of it. Ah, no ! I had nearly for- 



