HODGSON’S IMPERIAL PIGEON 101 
Distribution. From the extreme west of Nepal, Sikhim, Bhutan, the 
whole of the Dooars, and the broken ground at their feet, the Assam Valley 
and the hills north of it, the Miri, Dafla, Abor Hills as far east as Sadiya. 
The Garo and Naga Hills running east on the south of the Brahmapootra. 
In the Surma Valley, North Cachar Hills and Tipperah Hills the birds are 
intermediate, most however in the first-named place being nearer the true 
insignis whilst the Tipperah birds are nearer griseicapilla. 
Nidification. The breeding-season of this Pigeon on the north-east 
frontier of India, from Nepal to Sadiya and the hills south of the Brahma- 
pootra, appears to commence when the rains break, and to last through July 
and August, but I have seen its nest containing a young bird in March, and 
it is possible they have two broods, the first from February to March and the 
second during the rains. 
The nest is of the usual description—a rough platform of sticks with 
practically no depression in the middle, and measuring anything between 
nine inches and a foot in diameter by some two to four inches thick. There 
is no lining of any description whatever, though some of the smaller, more 
pliant twigs seem to form the uppermost part of the centre of the nest. The 
majority of the twigs and sticks of which the nest is composed appear to 
have been torn living from the tree, but many also are pieces of twig and 
stick dead long before the bird made use of them. 
As a rule the nest is placed at no great height from the ground—some 
twenty to twenty-five feet—in small saplings, but I have seen nests as low 
down as twelve feet, and one or two at heights of over forty feet. No attempt 
is made to place the nest in a concealed position, and this with the sitting bird 
can usually be seen at some distance. All the nests I have taken have been 
in the interior of evergreen-forest, but often the site selected is one near 
some natural clearing or opening, and occasionally is one beside some village 
track. 
The number of eggs is never more than one, and though, on one 
occasion I took two from the same nest, it is probable that they were laid 
by two hens. 
The average of twenty-two eggs is 1.82 by 1.32 in. ( = 46.2 by 33.5 mm.), 
the greatest and least long being 1.93 in. ( = 49.0 mm.) and 1.69 in. 
( = 42.9 mm.) respectively, and the same extremes in breadth 1.42 in. 
( = 36.1 mm.) and 1.26 in. ( = 32 mm.). 
The shape is generally a fairly regular ellipse, but some eggs are 
decidedly pointed at one end and, more rarely, one end is somewhat 
compressed. The texture is hard and close, with considerably more gloss 
than in any of the Green Pigeon’s eggs. 
There is very little on record about this fine Pigeon, Jerdon’s 
interesting notes all referring to its subspecies, insignis cwprea—Jerdon’s 
Imperial Pigeon. It is an extremely common bird at all elevations 
between 1,000 and 4,000 ft. in the hill-ranges, and thence it is less common 
up to about 6,000 feet, above which it is rare. It extends into the plains 
adjacent to the hills during the cold weather, but will only be found in 
places which are well forested, and have an ample rainfall. It is essen- 
tially a forest Pigeon, and will not be found in open country or round 
about cultivation. In North Cachar it was extremely common, often 
