WEDGE-TAILED GREEN PIGEON 85 
generally seek their meals early in the mornings and late in the afternoons. 
To avoid the heat they retire during the middle of the day to some shady 
trees, where, hidden amongst the foliage they sit motionless, and spend 
the time dozing ; occasionally one wakes up and utters its soft plaintive 
whistle, and it is by these alone that the birds betray their presence. 
Their flight is rapid and strong.” 
In the above note Mr. Dodsworth mentions the fact of its being 
found only in small family parties, pairs or single birds, but it must be 
remembered that he writes only of their habits during the breeding-season, 
and in the cold weather they will be found in flocks just as all the other 
Green Pigeons are. Even, however, during this season the flocks seldom 
run to any great size, being more often under than over a dozen, whilst 
single birds and pairs may frequently be met with consorting with 
other species. 
On account of their beautiful notes, which are fuller, richer and more 
sweet than those of any other Green Pigeon, these birds are specially 
sought after as cage-birds. Beautiful, however, as they are, both as to 
plumage and song, they are on the whole uninteresting pets. In a cage 
they are slow, lethargic and, indeed, stupid birds, and the two bad 
traits of greediness and quarrelsomeness which they share with the rest 
of their tribe, do not add to their attractions. 
In the article just referred to, Mr. Dodsworth gives a long description 
of a pair of these birds, which he reared by hand, which describes well 
their habits and manners in captivity. He writes: “On the Ist July, 
1910, one of my egg-hunters brought me a pair of these birds, about a 
fortnight or three weeks old, from a nest which he had found in the 
neighbourhood of Simla (North-west Himalayas), placed on one of the 
outer branches of a large oak, at an elevation of about 6,300 ft. The 
young Koklas were immediately taken in hand by my wife, and rearing 
operations commenced. On being handled at first they would slightly 
raise the wing, nearest to their supposed enemy. They were kept in a 
small wooden box, lined with some straw and grass, and were fed about 
five or six times a day exclusively on small pieces of ripe plantains, which 
had to be thrust down into their mouths. A little water used occa- 
sionally to be poured down their throats after the last meal in the evenings. 
When they were almost fledged, they were transferred to a cage 
containing two Doves (Turtur ferrago), which had also been taken from 
a nest, and were being reared by the hand. 
