SPHENOCEF.CUS. 15 



crown, passing on the nape into the green of the neck all round, 

 with the sides of the head, chin, and lower surface ; back, scapulars, 

 and most of the lesser wing-coverts chestnut ; tertiaries, median 

 coverts, and some of the outer smaller coverts olive ; greater 

 coverts and primary and secondary quills black, median and greater 

 coverts and tertiaries with broad, secondaries with narrow yellow 

 borders ; rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail above green, generally 

 brighter than the neck ; outer tail-feathers above grey, with a 

 black band, below black, with a very broad grey tip ; flanks darker 

 green, with white edges ; wing-lining slaty grey ; under tail-coverts 

 pale cinnamon. 



Female green on the mantle instead of chestnut, and with the 

 lower tail-coverts whitish with dark green bars. 



Base of upper mandible bright red, rest of bill pale yellowish to 

 greenish white ; irides orange, with an inner deep blue ring ; 

 orbital skin pea-green ; legs and feet lake-pink to coral-red. 



Length about 10'5; tail 3'3 ; wing 5'75 ; tarsus '8; bill from 

 gape '95. 



Distribution. Rare in the Eastern Himalayas at low elevations 

 as far west as Nepal, occasionally in Lower Bengal, in Eastern 

 Bengal and Assam, throughout the Burmese countries in the 

 hill-tracts, and sometimes in the better-wooded parts of the low 

 country ; this species is also found in Siam and Cochin China, the 

 Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Philippines. 



Habits, &fc. Very similar to those of other Green Pigeons. This 

 bird is equally gregarious and social : it has a hoarse note, uttered 

 when feeding, and also a fine mellow 7 whistle. The nest and eggs 

 resemble those of Crocopus, and the breeding-season in Tenasserim, 

 where Bingham met with several nests, was at the end of February 

 and in March. An egg measured 1*13 by '89. 



Genus SPHENOCERCUS, G. E. Gray, 1840. 



This genus much resembles Osmotreron in coloration, but is 

 distinguished by having a much longer and graduated tail, and by 

 wanting the sinuation on the inner web of the third primary. 

 The under tail-coverts are as long as the outer tail-feathers or 

 longer. The rhamphotheca, or hard horny part of the bill, is 

 shorter than the soft basal portion. 



Eight species are enumerated in Salvadori's Catalogue ; of these 

 two are Himalayan and Burmese, the others range through the 

 greater part of the Oriental region east of India. 



Key to the Species. 



Middle tail-feathers acuminate and extending 



generally 2 to 3 in. beyond the next pair S. apicicauda, p. 16. 



Middle tail-feathers not acuminate, extending verv 



little beyond next pair 8. sphenurus, p. 16. 



