~0 COLUMBIA. 



I can find no trustworthy record of the Imperial Pigeon's 

 occurrence in the Carnatic, Mysore, the Central Provinces west 

 of 80 E. long., the Bombay Presidency north of Canara, nor in any 

 part of Northern India west of the Eajmehal hills and Sikhini. 

 This species is, however, common in Ceylon, and is found from 

 the base of the Eastern Himalayas in Sikhim and Bhutan through- 

 out Assam, Burma, and the Malay countries and islands to the 

 Philippines, Borneo, Java, and Flores. 



Habits, <$fc. A forest bird, chiefly found in hilly country at low 

 elevations, sometimes associating in Hocks, but more often seen 

 singly or in parties of two or three. Like all members of the 

 family it is purely a fruit-eater, it keeps much to high trees, and 

 it rarely descends to the ground except to drink, which it does in 

 the morning and afternoon. I have myself seen it drinking at 

 the latter time. Jerdon found it visiting the Malabar coast with 

 Ducula cuprea. The call is a low guttural dissyllabic note. This 

 bird is one of the best of all Indian pigeons for the table. The 

 nest is the usual flimsy platform of straw and sticks, and one egg 

 is usually laid, but two are said to have been observed. An egg 

 measured 1-8 by 1'32. The breeding-season in Ceylon (Legne) and 

 near the Godavari (Jerdon) is in April and May, in the Andamans 

 July (Wimbeeley), in Tenasserim February and March (Bingham). 



1285. Carpophaga insularis. The Nicobar Imperial Pigeon. 



Carpophaga sylvatica (Tickell), var., Blyth, J.A.S. B. xv, p. 371. 

 Carpophaga insularis, Bli/th, J.A.S.B. xxvii, p. 270 (1858); id. 



Ibis, 1868, p. 133: Ball, J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2. p. 32 : id. S. F. 



i, p. 79 ; Hume, S. F. ii', p. 262 ; iv, p. 291 ; id'. N. # E. p. 496 ; 



id. Cat. no. 780 his ; Gates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 367 ; 



Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 185. 



Coloration. Similar to that of C. cenea, except that the grey of 

 the head, neck, and lower parts is purer, without any pink or 

 vinous tinge ; the back, rump, and wings are dark metallic bluish 

 or purplish green, the tail being still darker and more purplish 

 above ; the quills are nearly black above, and the lower tail-coverts 

 dull rufous-brown. 



Bill pale plumbeous, paler at tip, darker at base ; irides red, 

 varying in tint ; eyelids pale lavender ; legs and feet deep pink to 

 livid purple (Hume). 



Length about 18-5 ; tail 6-5 ; wing 10 ; tarsus 1*2 ; bill from 

 gape 1*6. 



Distribution. Peculiar to the Nicobar Islands. 



Habits, Sj'c. Similar to those of C. cenea : the breeding-season, 

 according to Davidson, is in February and March. 



Genus DUCULA, Hodgson, 1836. 



This differs from Carpopliaga in having the inner primaries 

 obliquely truncated at the end so that the outer web projects 



