FRUIT-PIGEONS. 



245 



Series, Vol. I., pp. 232, 253) describes an example of 

 this species in the possession of a friend which was fed 

 upon boiled maize ; it did not long survive. An example 

 was presented to the London Zoological Society in 

 1892. 



PTIRPLK-SHOTJLDERED FRUIT-PIGEON 

 (Crocopus pficenicopterus) . 



The adult male has the crown of the head and the 

 ar-coverts ash grey ; the forehead, lores, and throat 

 greenish ; the neck and breast yellowish green ; front of 

 the mantle occupied by a half-collar of ash grey ; 

 remainder of back, including the scapularies, innermost 

 lesser wing coverts, and tertiaries olive gree'n ; upper 

 tail-coverts washed with grey ; wing-coverts near bend 

 of wing lilac ; greater coverts bordered with pale 

 yellow, forming an oblique bar across the wing ; nights 

 blackish with narrow pale yellow edges ; tail above grey, 

 yellowish olivaceous at the base ; chest, abdomen, 

 flanks, and axillaries pale grey ; wings, below leaden 

 grey ; the coverts with slightly greenish edges ; tail 

 below black with a broad terminal grey belt ; bill 

 whitish ; feet deep yellow ; iris crimson with an outer 

 circle of smalt blue. 



The female differs in having hardly a trace of lilac 

 on the bend of the wing, and the under tail coverts 

 slate grey in the middle, more or less varied with 

 chestnut. Hab., Eastern portion of the Punjab and 

 Rajpootana. through the North-Western and Central 

 Provinces to Bengal and the Eastern Himalayas. 



According to Jerdon (" Birds of India," Vol. III., 

 p. 448), Tickell ".states that it breeds in the thick damp 

 forests to the southward, towards Sumbulpore, during 

 the rains. Many breed in various parts of Lower 

 Bengal ; and, as Blyth remarks, in the hot weather, 'not 

 during the rains." 



Hume (" Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds," pp. 

 371, 372) says that this species breeds from March to 

 June. He adds : " I have only myself found two of its 

 nests, both in the Etawah district (where I have taken 

 at least a dozen of those of C. chlorigaster) , both placed 

 near the outside of large mango-trees, at heights of from 

 20 to 30 feet from the ground, and in the vicinity of 

 water. 



" The nests were slight twig-structures, laid upon two 

 or three thin branchlets, forming a horizontal fork, 

 devoid of lining, and perhaps 6 inches in diameter and 

 1 inch in thickness, with a shallow central depression 

 "barely ^ inch in depth. Two is, I believe, the full com- 

 plement of the eggs. 



" The eggs are of the usual Pigeon type, white and 

 glossy, as a rule broad, nearly perfect, ovals, but occa- 

 sionally in this and other species of Green Pigeons a 

 good deal pointed at one end. 



" In length they vary from 1.16 to 1.35, and in 

 "breadth from 0.9 to 1.0; but the average of eighteen 

 eggs is 1.23 by 0.95." 



According to Ram Bramha Sanayl, the superintendent 

 of the Zoological Garden at Calcutta, this bird does not 

 appear to bear captivity well. It is a strange fact, 

 but it is an undoubted one, that many species _ of 

 tropical origin do not bear captivity in a tropical 

 country (though it be their native one) so well as they 

 do in our inclement land ; either the soaked or parched 

 gram which they constantly get is not sufficiently 

 nourishing, or they need plenty of exercise to enable 

 them to bear the overpowering heat of the climate. 



An example of this species was deposited at the 

 London Zoological Gardens in 1864, and a second speci- 

 men was presented the same year. In 1893 it arrived 

 at the Berlin Gardens. 



SOUTHERN FRUIT-PIGEON (Crocopus chlorogaster). 



Differs from the preceding species in. its almost 

 wholly grey crown, very slightly tinged with greenish 

 on the forehead ; tail above grey, with scarcely a trace 

 of yellowish-green at the base, or none at all ; the 

 under surface pale yellowish-green. Female differing 

 from the male in the ill-defined purple tinge near the 

 bend of the wing, and the under tail-coverts grey in 

 the middle, more or less mixed with chestnut. Hab., 

 India, as far north as Xepal, and Ceylon. 



Colonel Legge ("Birds of Ceylon," Vol. II. , pp. 723, 

 724) observes that he was never fortunate enough to 

 meet with this Pigeon. He adds : " As regards this fine 

 Pigeon's habits in Ceylon I know nothing but that it 

 is said by Layard to be very fond of the fruit of the 

 banyan. Jerdon states that ' it comes in large parties, 

 generally about 9 a.m., to certain spots on river-banks 

 to drink, and, after taking a draught of water, occa- 

 sionally walks a few steps to the damp sand, appearing 

 to pick up small pebbles, pieces of gravel or sand.' 

 Their call, he says, ' is very similar to that of the 

 Bengal Green Pigeon " ; but this he does not describe. 

 Like all its family, it is entirely frugivorous in diet. 

 Captain Butler states that the berries of the Ficus 

 indica appear to be its favourite food. 



" Nidification. This Green Pigeon breeds throughout 

 Continental India from March till June, making, accord- 

 ing to Mr. Hume, a typical Dove's nest, and laying two 

 white eggs. Mr. Blewitt, writing concerning nests he 

 found near Hansie, says that they ' were placed on 

 various trees, mostly growing on the canal-bank, at 

 heights of from 14 to 18 feet from the ground. They 

 were composed of Shishum, Zizi/phus, and Keeker twigs, 

 in some cases slenderly and in others somewhat densely 

 put together. One or two were absolutely without 

 lining ; but they were mostly very scantily lined with 

 leaves, feathers," or fine straw.' This is remarkable for 

 a Pigeon's nest, as they usually have no lining at all, 

 and other observers testify to there being none in the 

 case of this species. The birds sit very close, Messrs. 

 Hume and Marshall both stating, with regard to nests 

 found by them at different times, that they pelted the 

 bird without her flying away. The eggs average in 

 size '1.25 by 0.95 inch.' " A specimen of this species 

 was deposited at the London Zoological Gardens in 1895. 



NEPAL THICK-BILLED FRUIT-PIGEON (Treron nipalensis). 



Xeck, rump, and uppier tail-coverts olive-green ; 

 mantle and lesser upper Aving-coverts chestnut; wings 

 otherwise, black ; the median and greater coverts and. 

 secondaries with yellow edges ; middle tail-feather olive- 

 green, other feathers grey crossed by a median black 

 belt , crown ashy, paler on the forehead ; breast and 

 ."bdomeTi olive-green, the former faintly tinged with 

 fulvous ; sides leaden-grey ; flanks green mixed with 

 white ; under tail-coverts cinnamon ; bill pale yellowish 

 or greenish-white tipped with greenish, the gape and 

 base of upper mandible to nostrils bright red ; feet lake 

 to corad-red ; orbital skin pea-green ; irides varying 

 from bright orange to yeiowish-red. Female with olive- 

 green >in "place oi the chestnut on the plumage above, and 

 the under tail- coverts white or buffi sh- white, irregularly 

 barredl with green. Hab., " Eastern Bengal and South- 

 Eastern Himalayas, extends dovni the Malay Peninsula 

 to Sumatra, Borneo, and the Philippines ; it occurs also 

 in Siam and Cochin-China.' ' {Salvadori.) 



Jerdon does not describe the habits of this species, 

 but merely comments upon it? extremely strong bill. 



The late Coloneil Charles T. Bingham found nests in 

 Tenasserim, respecting which I quote from. Hume's 



