THE EMERALD DOVE. 297 



Subfamily PHAPIDIN^E. 



Genus CHALOOPHAPS, Gould. 



657. CHALCOPHAPS INDICA. 

 THE EMERALD DOVE. 



Columba indica, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 284. Chalcophaps indica, Jerd. B. Ind. 

 ii. p. 484 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 509 ; id. S. F. ii. p. 269, iii. p. 165 ; Salvad. 

 Ucc. Born. p. 299 ; Bourdillon, S. F. iv. p. 404 ; Bl. B. Burm. p. 147 ; David et 

 Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 384 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped. p. 667 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi. 

 p. 424 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 110; Legge, Birds Ceylon, p. 714; Oates, S. F. x. 

 p. 235; Kelham, Ibis, 1881, p. 528. 



Description. Male. Forehead and a supercilium greyish white ; crown, 

 nape, a narrow line down the hind neck and a band across the upper back 

 deep bluish grey ; sides of the head and neck and the whole lower plumage 

 deep vinaceous, rather duller on the abdomen ; under tail-coverts ashy ; 

 back, wing-coverts and tertiaries bright metallic green ; the smaller coverts 

 near the edge of the wing chiefly white ; below the green of the back a 

 narrow band of ashy, then a broad black band, then another ashy one, and 

 finally a very broad band, which, with the upper tail-coverts, is dark ashy 

 brown tipped darker ; the three central pairs of tail-feathers dark brown 

 tipped \Taler, the others banded with black and ashy ; quills dark brown, 

 the outer webs of the secondaries chiefly metallic green ; under wing- 

 coverts chestnut. 



The female differs in having the colours of her plumage much duller and 

 in having hardly any white on the wing-coverts. 



Bill red ; iris dark brown ; eyelids plumbeous ; legs dusky red ; claws 

 pale horn-colour. 



Length 1O5 inches, tail 4, wing 5'8, tarsus 1, bill from gape '9. The 

 female is a little smaller. 



The Emerald Dove is found over the entire province in well-wooded 

 localities. 



It occurs all over India, Ceylon and the Andaman s, the Indo-Burmese 

 countries, South China, Cochin China, Siam, the Malay peninsula and all 

 the islands nearly down to Australia. 



This beautiful Dove frequents forests and thick gardens, such as those 

 which are to be found outside Rangoon on the Prome road. It is met 

 with as often in small flocks as in pairs; and it feeds entirely on the ground. 

 The nest is placed in bushes ; and it will probably be found to breed in 

 Burmah during the hot weather and the early part of the rains. 



