Pigeons and Doves. 23 



bright red. The hen is browner in tint, and has no white, or 

 only very little, on the shonlder. 



The Indian Green- winged Y)oy^ {Chalcophaps indka). 



This dove is very similar to the one previonsly described, 

 but, to my mind, it is the handsomer of the two, as it has a white 

 forehead (shading into lead colour on the crown) and a white 

 eyebrow streak which gives it a very distinctive appearance. In 

 the hen the forehead is greyer. 



The Bronze-wing Pigeon {Phaps chalcoptera). 



A fine large bird, but with rather short legs in proportion 

 to its size. It is mottled like a pheasant and, as its name implies, 

 has beautiful metallic reflections in the wings. In my cock these 

 reflections are emerald and fire-red, in the hen sage-green and 

 gold, but individual specimens vary. The forehead in the cock 

 is buff, in the hen white. The Bronze-wing nests readily, but it 

 is too large a bird for a very small aviary. 



The Brush Bronze-wing Pigeon {Phaps elegans). 



A much smaller bird than the former and much niore 

 rounded in shape, but equally beautiful. The colouring is not 

 mottled but rich maroon brown and grey, with bright metallic 

 feathers in the wing. The hen is duller in colour, and has not 

 so bufi" a forehead as the cock. 



The Partridge Bronze-wing Pigeon. 

 {Geophaps scripta). 



This is a very pretty little dove. In shape it is rather like 

 the ordinary Bronze-wing, and mottled with brown and white in 

 something the same way. It has very decided white-face mark- 

 ings, and the reflection in the wing is green. The nest is made 

 in a hollow in the earth, two eggs being laid therein. It is a 

 bird that seldom flies about, but spends most of its time on the 

 ground. It is very quiet and never interferes with any other 

 inmate of the aviary. 



The Plumed Ground Dove {Lophophaps plumijerd). 



This is a very tiny little dove, with a long upright crest 

 on the head. It is very active and, like the Partridge Bronze- 

 wing, nests on the ground, and can run at a great rate. The 

 general colour is bright cinnamon, with darker markings, and 

 black and white face colouring, a grey and black band cross the 

 breast. A touch of brightness is given by the bare red skin 



