(33) ALSOCOMUS PULCHRICOLLIS (Hodg.). 
THE ASHY WOOD-PIGEON. 
(PLATE 17.) 
Columba pulchricollis Hodg., in Gray’s Zool. Miscel., p. 85 (1844): descr. 
nulla ; Blyth, J.A.S.B., XIV p. 866; Salvadori, Cat. B.M., XXI p. 305 ; 
Stuart Baker, Ibis 1896, p. 355; Sharpe, Hand-List, I p. 71. 
Palumbus pulchricollis Blyth, Cat. B.M.A.S8.B., p. 233; Gould, B. Asia, VI 
pl. 58; Jerdon, B.I., III p. 405; Hume, Str. Feath., VIII p. 119; 
id., Cat. no. 785; Stuart Baker, J.B.N.H.S., X p. 360. 
Alsocomus pulchricollis Blanf., Avi. Brit. I., IV p. 37; Thompson and 
Craddock, J.B.N.H.S., XIV p. 600; Osmaston, ib, XV p. 515; 
Harington, B. Burma, p. 67. 
Vernacular Names. Hko, Burmese; Ka-o, Lepcha; Daohukuruma 
majungbi, Cachari. 
Description.—Adult male. Head and nape dove-grey, paler on the sides 
of the head, and faintly glossed with grey-green; chin and centre of throat 
white: a patch on the neck black, the feathers broadly tipped buff, paling 
to whitish on the extreme margin—this patch is produced round the neck 
as a very narrow collar, the black hardly showing on the neck below the 
throat and the buff being almost entirely replaced by white. Next to this 
collar, above and below, blackish-brown, the feathers all highly glossed with 
metallic green and purple, extending above into the interscapulars ; lower- 
back and rump slaty-black becoming slaty-grey on the shorter upper 
tail-coverts ; longest tail-coverts and tail blackish-brown; wing-coverts 
plumbeous-brown, darkest next to the back, and most pale on the outer 
greater coverts ; quills dark brown, the second to fifth edged narrowly with 
pale rufous. Below changing from the slaty-brown of the breast to dull 
buffish on the vent and abdomen, the sides of the latter more or less lilac- 
slate; under tail-coverts buff and under aspect of wings and axillaries 
blackish-brown. 
Colours of soft parts. ‘‘ rides very pale yellow ” (Rippon). 
Bill livid at the base, turning to yellow at the middle and tip, some- 
times tinged with green on the cere; irides pale to bright yellow; legs and 
feet dull purplish-red, or deep dull coral-red, the claws horny-brown and the 
soles a paler red. 
Measurements. About 15 in. in total length. Wing from 7.65 in. 
( = 194.3 mm.) to 8.50 in. ( = 216.3 mm.), the first measurement being that 
of an abnormally small bird, the next smallest in the British Museum 
Collection being 7.85 in. (= 199.4 mm.); average of forty-two specimens : 
8.24 in. (= 209.7.mm.); bill at front .65 in. (= 16.5 mm.) and from gape 
1.05 in. (= 26.6 mm.); tarsus between .9 in. (= 22.8 mm.) and | in. 
(= 25.4 mm.). Tail about 5.0 in. (= 127 mm.). 
“Length 133 to 14in.; wing 8} to 9 in. ; tail 43 to 5 in.” (Jerdon). 
