96 COMMON BIRDS OF AN INDIAN GARDEN 



bicincta, together with the surprisingly beautiful 

 ground -dove, Calcophaps indica. The common 

 ring-doves, Turtur risorius, and the small brown 

 doves, T. cambayensis, who are such characteristic 

 inmates of the gardens of Upper India, are not to be 

 met with near Calcutta ; indeed, the area is already 

 so fully occupied by spotted doves, that they would 

 find it no easy matter to obtain a footing in it 

 among such aggressive and ill-tempered neighbours. 

 The geographical distribution of the spotted and 

 the brown doves presents some noteworthy points. 

 In a journey by rail from Calcutta to the Punjab 

 it is curious to observe the abruptness with which 

 the former species is replaced by the latter near 

 Moghal Sarai, in the lower part of the North- West 

 Provinces; and how, from this point onwards to 

 Lahore, the only locality in which spotted doves 

 abound seems to be the Botanic Garden at Sahar- 

 anpur, in which they are present in large numbers 

 and to the apparent exclusion of the brown species. 

 Even without seeing the birds, the boundaries of 

 areas occupied by either species are at once declared 

 by the great differences in their common calls, for 

 whilst the brown dove ordinarily cries, " Ku ku ku, 

 kii ku kii ku ku ku, kti ku kti," the spotted one 

 says, Kuk ku ku ku," or " Kruu km km kru kru." 

 Spotted doves, like most of their relatives, are 

 perfect whited sepulchres of "envy, hatred, and 

 malice," and are continually squabbling and fight- 



