HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



and the pompadour, are resorting, hide yourself near at 

 hand, and "pot" them when they come to the tree or 

 bag them just when preparing to settle. This sounds 

 unsportsmanlike, and so it is, but if the country is thick 

 it is the only way to get them, and if you have no fresh 

 meat in camp it is very often the only way to provide it, 

 as you would not bring off as many flying shots in an hour 

 as would provide yourself only with a satisfactory meal. 

 If you happened to be near a dry paddy field you might 

 bag a good many spotted doves on flight, but they are 

 poor eating. Taking all the foregoing circumstances into 

 consideration, I will therefore confine myself to a brief 

 description of the birds to be met with in Ceylon, merely, 

 however, naming the rare or occasional visitors, without 

 any detailed description. 



Of the rarer, or strictly local birds, Captain Legge lists 

 the following : 



The purple wood-pigeon (Ahocomus puniceus). An 

 Indian pigeon and only a very rare visitant in the north. 



The common Indian dove (Turtur risorius) is found in 

 parts of the Northern Province. 



Length 1 1 to 12 inches ; bill blackish ; legs and feet 

 purple-red ; claws black. 



Head, throat, and breast vinous grey; lower part of 

 hind neck, back, wing coverts, &c., brownish-grey, to 

 bluish-grey on lower breast. 



Indian red dove (Turtur tranquebaricus) ; rare visitor. 



Hodgson's turtle-dove (Turtur pulchratus} ; rare occa- 

 sional visitor only. 



Southern green pigeon (Crocopus chlorigaster) is to be 

 found in the extreme north of the island only. 



So much for the rarer kinds, which no one but a natur- 

 alist or collector would go out of the way to look for. 



18 



