246 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



" Xests and Eggs of Indian Birds," Vol. II., p. oiQ, as 

 follows: "I found seven! nests of this 'bird, which 

 breeds in the Thoungyeen forests, throughout the end 

 of February and the \\hale of March. My first four 

 nests were all found an one day, and all were little plat- 

 forms of straw on iiorizontailly- growing bamboos, con- 

 taining each a couple of unfledged young. This was on 

 the 3rd March. Again on the 22nd March I got a nest 

 similarly placed, with two eggs so .hard-set that I failed 

 to save them. 



" The only other egg I got was on the 28th March, 

 near Yok village, in the Meplay district. It was placed 

 in the usual flimsy nest in the fork of a small 'tree about 

 10 feet above the ground, and Avas pure white in colour 

 and perfectly fresh. I procured the female to make 

 certain." According to Hume this fgu measures " 1.13 

 by 0.89." 



Russ states that in 1894 G. Boez, of Ccllogne, imported 

 this species for the first time, and forwarded it to him 

 for identification. 



DOUBLE -BANDED FRUIT-PIGEON (Osmotreron bicincta). 



" Male, above green, brighter ard more yellow on the 

 forehead, Avith the usual yellow wing band ; 

 occipital region and nape ash grey ; tail grey, Avit'h a 

 blackish .medial band oil all but its middle feathers; 

 beneath green, yellowish on tho throat, and with a 

 large buff-orange patch on the breast, surmounted by 

 a narrow lilac ba.id somewhat broader on the sides; 

 vent pale yellow ; under tail-coverts cinnamon coloured, 

 and the lower surface of the tail blackish, tipped with 

 greyish Avhite." 



" The femaile differs in wanting the blue and orange 

 breast, in the whole lower surface being brighter green, 

 and in the lower tail-coverts being mingled reddish 

 ashy and buffy white ; bill greenish glaucous ; legs 

 pinkish-red; irides red, sua rounded by a blue circle." 

 (Jerdon.) Hab., "Sub-Himalayan region, Eastern 

 Central Provinces of India and Burmese countries, as 

 far east as Cochin-China and Hainan, and also the Malay 

 Peninsula, with the island of Salanga and Ceylon.'' 

 (Salvation.) 



In India this bird ii;i generally s-een in flocks of fifty, 

 sixty, or more individuals. It flies very rapidly ; its 

 note is very melodious. The young are often brought 

 into the Calcutta market abouit June. 



Ceylcnese birds are slightly smaller than those of 

 India. They frequent low jungle, the outskirts of the 

 forest, detached rows of trees in the open, or almost 

 anywhere where their favourite food may be found. 

 The Ceylon birds, excepting when feeding, are seen 

 mostly in small companies. The favourite food of the 

 species consists of berries of the bo, banyan, palu, and 

 poppalille tr. j es ; its times for drinking are at seven in 

 the morning and four in the afternoon. 



Nidification commences in May or June, but sometimes 

 continues until August ; the nest is formed of twigs, 

 and lined with roots : it is placed either in a fork or 

 near the end of a branc'h, and contains two glossy white 

 eggs. 



A female of this species was deposited at the London 

 Zoological Gardens in 1864, and the same year a second 

 example was presented ; in 1895 Mr. Frank Finn also 

 gave a specimen to the Society. 



PARROT FRUIT-PIGEON (Osmotreron verncrns). 



Green ; neck all round vmaceous purple ; mantle, back, 

 lesser and median upper wing-coverts dull grass-green ; 

 upper tail-coverts with a rutVscent tinge; greater coverts 

 and flights black, the former and the tertiaries with 



pa/le yellow borders; tail dark slate-grey with a broad 

 sub-terminal black belt, ill -defined o'n the central 

 feathers ; head, chin, and throat grey ; the forehead,, 

 sides of head and throat faintly tinged with greenish;, 

 a deep orange patch on the breast; abdomen yellow ish- 

 green; sides and under surface of wing pale slate-givy ; 

 flanks and vent pale yellow, varied with grey ; tibia! 

 plumes pale yellow; uncloa- tail-courts chestnut; tail 

 below black, narrowly tipped with grey; bill pale 

 leaden grey, cere dirty yellow ; feet carnation-pink or 

 p. i!r lake-red; irides with an outer ring of rose-pink, a, 

 central ring of Prussian blue, and an inner ring -of 

 ultramarine. Female Avith the head, neck, and 'breast 

 green, forehead, sides of head, throat and breast tinged 

 Avith dull yellowish; under tail-coverts buffish-white, 

 more or less suffused Avith pale dull cinnamon, the latter 

 often mottled with dark grey or greenish-grey ; the grey 

 on the head, the vinous purple on the neck, and the: 

 orange on the breast are all wanting. Hab., " Siam and 

 Cochin-China, South of Tenasserim, Malay Peninsula r 

 Sumatra, Nias. Bangka, Billiton, Java, Sumbawa, 

 Borneo, the Philippines, Siilu Islands, and Celebes." 

 (Salvador!.) 



The following notes on the nidification of this species- 

 occur in Hume's " Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds,"' 

 Second Edition, Vol. II., p. 375 : " Mr. Davison, writing, 

 from Southern Tenasserim, says : ' On the 12th of 

 January (1880) I found a nest of this Pigeon in a small r 

 very dense thorny bush. The nest wus of the usual 

 pigeon and dove type, consisting merely of a few dry- 

 twigs. It was placed about 5 feet from the ground.' " 



"These eggs measure 1.15 in length by 0.81 and 0.82: 

 respectively in breadth. 



" Two other eggs found at Kussoom, in the Malay 

 Peninsula, on the 7th July measure 1.11 and 1.05 in 

 length, by 0.86 and 0.85 respectively in breadth. 



" The- eggs are OA'als, varying from moderately broad 

 to considerably elongated ones, always apparently 

 obtuse at one end, often at both. They are pure Avhite 

 and have little gloss." 



Russ observes Ihat Keilham observed them very 

 numerously in Malacca, but especially on the well- 

 wooded islands of the peninsula. Every eA'ening before- 

 Mindown they flew, always in the same direction, in 

 about five or ten individuals, occasionally in great flocks,, 

 in order to spend the night in a favourite group of trees. 

 If, however, they Avere much shot at. after a few even- 

 ings they altered their route. Their flight is swift. 

 The isam.3 gentleman found them breeding in Perak 

 among bushes in marshy valleys. They construct a 

 small flat nest loosely formed of dry twigs at about. 

 2 to 3 feet from the ground. The dutches consisted of 

 two eggs of a delicate cinnamon-red colour, white Avhen 

 blown. 



According to BlaauAv, this species is not only spiteful! 

 towards its own kind, but even will not permit its wife- 

 to approach it; the male of a true pair injured its 

 female so severely that it was impossible to keep them.- 

 together in a large flight. He tried various experi- 

 ments, but could not get two to agree, and consequently 

 failed to breed with them. He says that the voice is- 

 the most noticeable thing about this Pigeon. It com- 

 mences Avith a sharp, long-drawn kruh kruh, frequently 

 repeated, then follows a kind of barking and mewing, 

 and kruh kruh terminates the exercise. At the time the 

 tail is moved up and down, the bill is Avidely opened, 

 and the head jerked forwards and backwards. 



A pair of this species reached the London Zoological 

 Gardens in 1876, the Amsterdam Gardens acquired the 

 species in 1882, G. Reisz exhibited a pair at tha 



