THE BAR-T AILED CUCKOO DOVE. 295 



Subfamily MACROPYGIIN^. 



Genus MACROPYGIA, Swains. 



655. MACROPYGIA LEPTOGRAMMICA. 

 THE BAR-TAILED CUCKOO DOVE. 



Columba leptogrammica, Temm. PL Col. 560. Coccyzura tusalia, Hodgs. J. 

 A. S, B. xii. p. 937. Macropygia tusalia, Jercl. B. Ind. ii. p. 473 ; Hume, 

 Nests and Eggs, p. 500 ; Wald. in Bl. B. Burm. p. 146 j Wardlaw Ramsay, Ibis, 

 1877, p. 468 ; Hume $ Dav. 8. F. vi. p. 419 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 110. Macro- 

 pygia leptogrammica, Wald. Ibis, 1875, p. 459. 



Description. Male. Forehead, chin and throat buff with a vinous tinge; 

 crown, nape and sides of the head vinaceous with a metallic lilac gloss ; 

 back, rump, upper tail-coverts, scapulars, tertiaries and wing-coverts black 

 barred with deep rufous, the hind neck glossed with metallic green or lilac ; 

 quills dark brown ; central tail-feathers black barred with rufous ; the 

 next two pairs ashy at base, barred indistinctly with black, and rufous at 

 the end ; the three outer pairs ashy, with a black subterminal band ; breast 

 and sides of the neck vinous-brown, each feather with a concealed filack 

 bar and a metallic green or lilac tip; abdomen, vent and under tail- 

 coverts buff; sides of the body tinged with ashy. 



The female does not differ conspicuously from the male ; the bars are 

 more developed and the colours less bright and glossy, and the breast and 

 upper abdomen are barred with brown. 



Legs and feet pinkish brown or brownish red ; bill dirty purplish or 

 horny brown ; irides, outer ring pink, inner ring blue. (Davison.) Iris 

 white surrounded by pale lilac ; orbital skin grey, with an inner rim of 

 purple round the eye; bill blackish; legs purplish pink. (Wardlaw 

 Ramsay.) 



Length 15 inches, tail 7 '5, wing 7 '2, tarsus *9, bill from gape 1. 



The Bar-tailed Cuckoo Dove occurs in the north-eastern portion of Pegu, 

 where Capt. Wardlaw Ramsay procured it on the Karin hills at 4000 feet 

 elevation, and on the Tonghoo hills at an altitude of 3500 feet. He also 

 observed it in Karennee. Mr. de Wet sent it to me in a collection of 

 birds he formed in the country near Tonghoo and the higher hills to the 

 east of that town. Mr. Davison obtained it in Tenasserim on Mooleyit 

 mountain and at Kollidoo further north, at both of which localities he 

 states that it was rare. 



It occurs in the hill-tracts of Eastern Bengal, and along the Himalayas 

 up to Nipal. It also inhabits Java; for Lord Walden some years ago in- 

 formed us that the Javan bird differed in no respect from the Indian. A 



