DUCULA 21 



beyond the shaft, in the tail being somewhat longer with a broad 

 pale band at the end, and in the absence of any green on the back, 

 wings, and tail, which are rufous-brown in the Indian species. 



Five species are known, of which three (perhaps four) occur 

 within Indian limits. They are hill birds, Jiving in forests at 

 considerable elevations, but otherwise they resemble Qarpophayci 

 iii habits. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Breast and abdomen pale ashy grey. 



a'. Crown and hind neck lilac I), insignis, p. 21. 



b'. Crown french-grey, hind neck lilac .... I), yriseicapilla, p. '22. 



b. Breast and abdomen lilac 1). cuprea, p. 22. 



1286. Ducula insignia. Hodgson s Imperial Pigeon. 



Ducula insignia, Hodgs. As. Res. xix, p. 162, pi. ix (head and foot) 



(1836). 

 Carpophaga insignis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 855 ; id. Cat. p. 232 ; 



Jerdon, B. /. p. 457 ; Godiv.-Aust. J. A. ti. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 171 ; 



xlv, pt, 2, p. 83 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 496 ; id. S. F. iii, p. 328 ; xi, 



p. 29o ; id. Cat. no. 781 ; Gates in Humes N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, 



p. 368 j Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 216. 



Dukul, H. in Nepal ; Fomok, Lepcha. 



Coloration. Forehead ashy ; crown, sides of head, nape, and 

 hind neck pale lilac, passing on the upper back into coppery 

 brown, which passes into greyish olive-brown on the wings and 

 scapulars ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts blackish grey ; 

 tail above blackish grey at the base, becoming black beyond the 

 coverts, terminal third or rather less light brownish grey, the 

 feathers much paler beneath throughout and the terminal third 

 light ashy; primary and secondary quills black above, blackish' 

 brown beneath ; chin and throat white ; breast, abdomen, and 

 wing-lining pale ashy grey ; under tail-coverts pale buff. 



Bill and legs intense sanguine, terminal hard portion of the 

 former and the nails dusky brown ; orbital skin slaty, merging into 

 purple ; iris hoary or blue-grey (Hodgson). 



Length about 20; tail 7*5; wing 9-5; tarsus 1-25; bill from 

 gape 1-5. 



Distribution. Himalayas of Nepal, Sikhim, and Bhutan, at 

 moderate elevations (about 2000-6000 feet) ; also Assam and the 

 Hills south of the valley *. 



Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of Carpophaga cenea, the note of 

 this Pigeon being even deeper. It is said to lay a single egg from 

 May to July. An egg measures 1-72 by 1-28. 



* The bird from North Cachar described as C. insignis by Lieut. Beavan in 

 Godwin-Austen's paper (J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. ill), I think, must have 

 been C. cenea. It was only 16'5 inches long, had a slate-coloured head and 

 dark red irides, and no mention is made of a pale terminal band on the tail. 



