GREEN PIGEONS 



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middle pair of feathers are less pointed and much shorter. The habits of this and 

 the other green pigeons are very similar. The males are not difficult to indentify, 

 but the females often resemble one another very closely. Writing of 6*. sphenurus, 

 Mr. Gates says that it is found in the thick forest country of Burma, frequenting 

 trees which bear fruit, and going about in flocks. It is a summer visitor to the 

 Himalayas, and breeds from April to July, constructing a nest of twigs on the 

 outer branches of trees. In October it collects in small flocks of six or eight, and 

 quits the country. It is rather shy, and its note is a soft, cooing whistle; its food 

 consists entirely of small fruits which are swallowed whole. 



Other Genera 



ABYSSINIAN WAIJA PIGEON. 



The African genus Vinago has the tail feathers almost even, the 

 outer pair being little shorter than the middle, and the feathers on 

 the legs conspicuously yellow, while the forehead in some species is more or less 

 naked. The Abyssinian walia ( V. walia} is met with in the subtropical belt, and 

 rarely seen on the highlands, being first observed at an elevation of about two 

 thousand feet, and not extending above six thousand. Its call is a liquid whistle, 

 very similar to that of the Indian green pigeon in tone, but with the concluding 

 portion a little harsher and more prolonged. It feeds on fruits, especially figs, 

 and, like its allies, is delicious eating. A third genus (Crocopus) inhabiting the 



