244 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



feeds on the ground, and I should think it doubtful 

 whether it ever alights there." 



Mr. Boyd Alexander observes (The Ibis, 1903, 

 p. 395) : " l r i s blue ; bill bluish horn-coloured, soft 

 parts crimson j legs and feet orange-yellow. ^ 



"A common pigeon in the vicinity of cultivation. 

 Mr. G. L. Bates (The Ibis, 1907, p. 419) says : " The 

 ' Obeii ' is the most abundant pigeon in every place 

 where I have been. It was often seen in the Zima 

 country. It is found wherever there is ripe, wild fruit, 

 but is most abundant in old clearings where the ' Um- 

 brella-tree ' (' Asefi ') grows. I have seen large flocks 

 in the more open inhabited country, where the above- 

 named tree grows abundantly, in the dry season (July) ; 

 and I used also to see large flocks in the mangroves of 

 the Lower Benito River at the same season. But 

 usually the birds are seen, three or four or half a dozen 

 together, among the leaves of the trees in which they 

 feed ; or, on a cool, misty morning, perched motionless 

 on a high, bare limb. The call which they make at 

 intervals while feeding is very unlike the cooing of a 

 Dove. It consists of several varied syllables, suggesting 

 words of human speech, and my Bulu boy can tell you 

 what the Obeii says. 



" Specimens shot in July were breeding. A bird was 

 seen sitting on its nest in September. This pigeon 

 makes a rude nest in the forks of small trees, often near 

 villages. It lays two white eggs." 



Mr. A. L. Butler, writing on the birds of the Egyp- 

 tian Soudan (The Ibis, 1908, p. 248), says : These 

 Fruit-Pigeons were abundant between Meshra-el-Rek 

 and Chak Chak, collected in flocks to feed on the fruit 

 of a large Ficus locally known as the ' Gameiza.' They 

 have a clear, modulated whistling note, like that of 

 Osmotr tron." 



Mr. Douglas Carruthers describes the soft parts as 

 follows (The, Ibis, 1908, p. 316) : " Iris blue; frontal 

 knob and base of bill scarlet, tip pale grey ; feet yellow, 

 claws pale grey." 



According to Mr. G. L. Bates (The Ibis, 1908, p. 562) 

 this pigeon appears to breed all the year round in 

 Southern Kamerun. 



Between the years 1870 and 1872 the London Zoo- 

 logical Society received no less than nine examples of 

 this Fruit-Pigeon, and Russ says that after 1870 it was 

 imported fairly frequently, but does not mention its 

 arrival at any of the Continental Gardens. 



DELALANDE'S FRUIT-PIGEON (Vinago delalandei). 



Upper surface mostly olive-yellow ; a broad grey 

 collar at back of hind neck ; lesser wing-coverts vina- 

 ceous towards bend of wing ; primary-coverts and flights 

 black, the primaries edged, the secondaries and greater 

 coverts bordered, with yellow ; terminal third of tail 

 pale whitish olive ; head, neck, and under surface 

 greyish-green ; centre of abdomen and tibial feathers 

 bright yellow ; feathers of flanks olive along the centre, 

 with broad, white borders ; under tail-coverts chestnut, 

 with broad, whitish borders, the basal ones olive with 

 white borders ; under wing-coverts and flights below 

 leaden-grey ; tail below black with a whitish-grey 

 terminal belt ; bill with the basal half crimson, the 

 terminal half pale slate-colour ; feet vermilion ; irides 

 pale blue, whitish towards the pupil. Female smaller ; 

 the head and neck more uniform, and of a deeper olive- 

 green than in the male ; the under tail-coverts olive, 

 broadly bordered with whitish, and with very little 

 cinnamon in the centre. Hab., " Eastern and Southern 



Africa, from Mombasa to Kaffraria, and inland as far 

 as the Nyassa." (Salvadori.) 



Stark and Sclater (" Birds of South Africa," VoL 

 IV., pp. 158, 159) describe the soft parts as follows : 

 " Iris pale blue to greyish or greenish-white; bill light 

 bluish-horn ; cere bright scarlet ; tarsus and feet bright 

 orange to vermilion." They thus describe the habits : 

 " This Green Pigeon seems to be a partial migrant,, 

 making its appearance suddenly when the wild berries, 

 and fruits of certain trees, especially figs, on which it 

 chiefly feeds, are ripening. It is usually seen in small 

 flocks, though occasionally found solitary. Owing to- 

 the colour of its plumage, and to its habit of frequenting 

 tall and thickly-leaved trees, it is difficult to observe ; 

 moreover, it sits very close, only dashing out with 

 rapid flight at the last moment. The Woodwards, how- 

 ever, found it very easy to shoot when feeding, and 

 state that it is usually fat, and very delicate eating.. 

 The note is a somewhat musical whistle, and is quite- 

 different to the cooing of other pigeons. 



" Ayres found a nest of this species in the Magalies- 

 bergen of the Transvaal towards the end of November,. 

 1882 ; it was composed of the usual layer of sticks, and. 

 was not more than ten feet from the ground ; it con- 

 tained a well-fledged young bird and an addled white 

 egg-" 



Mr. J. L. Sowerby, describing birds from Mashona- 

 land (The Ibis, 1898, p. 575), says : " This pigeon ap- 

 peared suddenly in rather large flocks to feed on the 

 fruit of certain trees. It has a note quite unlike an 

 ordinary pigeon's, being more of a whistle than a 

 ' coo.' ' 



Mr. Guy A. K. Marshall also remarks (The Ibis,. 

 1900, p. 261) : " This handsome bird is common and 

 generally distributed, though subject to partial migra- 

 tions depending oil the ripening of the various fruits- 

 on which it feeds. It is especially fond of the wild, 

 tig, the dense foliage of which affords it excellent pro- 

 tection, rendering it very hard to detect, as it sits very 

 close, but it dashes out with considerable speed when 

 roused. Its flesh is excellent." 



It appears from a note in The Ibis for 1901, p. 176, 

 that in British Central Africa the bill of this bird is 

 " white," and its native name there is " Nyandi." 



A note in The Ibis for 1904, p. 200, by Mr. G. C. 

 Short-ridge, merely repeats the observations already 

 recorded by other collectors. 



Mr. C. F. M. Swvnnerton, writing on the " Birds of 

 Gazaland " (The Ibis, 1907, pp. 305, 306), gives the 

 following interesting account of the habits : " Extremely 

 common throughout the district, and usually to be- 

 found feeding in flocks wherever wild figs or other 

 ripe fruits are to be had, while frequently visiting the- 

 forest-patches for food, though in this case it eeldom 

 descends below the upper branches of the trees. It 

 is evidently double-brooded, as I have had young, 

 brought to me in October and again have found a nest 

 with eggs the usual frail structure* of sticks, about 

 10 feet from the ground in Ohirinda (somewhat to my 

 surprise) in January ; the large wild fig-trees which 

 are scattered through the more open country are- 

 favourite nesting-sites. They are stolid birds, those 

 in my aviary, even when freshly caught, allowing me 

 to approach quite close before moving, and merely 

 staring stupidly though quite evidently in fear. The 

 call is a piping ' kureti, kureti, kureti,' followed by a 

 harsh ' kurrrr.' The -natives say that one individual 

 out of a flock will sometimes purposely give a false 

 alarm, returning immediately and enjoying the feast 

 alone." 



Miss Alderson (The Avicultural Magazine, Second: 



