558 Rev. J. Sibree^ Jr., on the 



True Pigeons ; (c) the Crowned Pigeons, the last of which 

 are natives of the Malayan Islands. We have therefore to 

 do with the second only of the three families, which includes 

 four species found in this island. 



Of these Madagascar Pigeons (Table IV. p. 564) not much 

 need be said, as they do not differ greatly in habits from 

 their congeners in other parts of the world. One, however, 

 belongs to a genus [Funingus) peculiar to the island; it is a 

 handsome bird, slaty blue in colour, with a tail of claret-red, 

 feet coral-red, with the same colour round the eyes. It is 

 sometimes seen in flocks of hundreds together, but is difficult 

 to obtain, as it is extremely wary. Mr. Cory remarks on 

 this statement, made on the authority of M. Pollen, " I have 

 never found the Fony Pigeon wary or difficult to obtain. In 

 fact, it is often with great difficulty that I have been able to 

 make it fly so as to get a shot. It feeds in Imerina very 

 much on the fruit of the Seva [Buddleia madagascariensis, 

 Lam.) and the Vdafotsy [Aphloia theaformis, Benn.).'' The 

 Painted Dove is also a handsome bird, of brown and bluish- 

 grey tints; it appears to be a peculiar species. The other 

 two Pigeons are of widely-spread species. The Cape Dove 

 is much smaller than the other three, but with very long tail ; 

 it is beautifully coloured in shades of brown and grey, and 

 has a curious mask-like patch of black on the face and neck*. 

 The Southern Pigeon is pale green in colour. 



All these Pigeons live in the neighbourhood of the culti- 

 vated regious of the islaud, and commit great ravages in the 

 rice-crops at the time of sowing and again at harvest. Some 

 satisfaction can, however, be taken upon them, since they are 

 all, except the Funingus, very excellent eating and get ex- 

 ceedingly fat at harvest-time. The Southern Pigeon is very 

 easily obtained, because, after one of the flock is shot, the 

 others will return again and again to the same tree, so that 

 the whole company may be killed one after the other. This 



* Mr, Cory tells me : " I obtained the other day a very small Pigeon 

 of a dun colour, with purplish iridescent spots, but with no black mark 

 on the face. No native had ever seen it before, and perhaps it may be 

 new. Its tail was long, and the size like that of a Sparrow (in bulk)." 



