326 Lieut. H. R. Kelham on 



OsMOTRERON VERNANS. The Grecu Pigeon. 



This handsome bird, the Green Pigeon of Europeans, the 

 " Punei " of the Malays, is very plentiful throughout the 

 country, particularly about the well-wooded islands to the 

 south of the peninsula. 



Towards evening they have a regular "flight,^' dozens 

 passing over the same spot night after night for about an 

 hour before sunset, on their way to roost in some favourite 

 clump of trees ; but if much fired at, after a few evenings 

 they change their line. 



By waiting for them I have often had very good sport, 

 shooting them as they passed overhead, generally in parties 

 of from five to ten, but occasionally in large flocks. Their 

 flight is very rapid ; and being thickly feathered, pretty 

 straight shooting is necessary to bring them down, a stray 

 pellet or two having but little eft'ect, unless a vital part 

 happens to be touched. 



There is a tree in the Straits bearing a large hard berry, 

 of which the Green Pigeons are very fond ; and when ripe, 

 the birds collect in great numbers to feed on it. One of 

 these fruit-bearing trees grew just outside our mess-house at 

 Tanglin ; and by watching near it, we often got several shots 

 in a very short space of time. In my notes I see that near this 

 tree, on 10th September 1879, " I shot nine in about twenty 

 minutes ; nearly all were this year's birds, and capital eating. 

 The males had not fully assumed the beautiful orange breast, 

 that part being only tinged and mottled with dificrent most 

 delicate shades of purple and orange. Their craws were full 

 of berries. '' 



Even these young birds, with comparatively tender skins, 

 took a lot of shot. 



In Perak I found them breeding during March, among 

 the bushes in the swampy valleys, making a small, flat, and 

 loosely-put-together nest of dry twigs, usually at from 6 to 

 10 feet from the ground. The eggs were two in number, of 

 a delicate pink colour, but white when blown. 



0. vernans is very like, but smaller than, the Indian spe- 

 cies (0, bicinctd); the female is smaller and of duller plumage 



