ALSOCOMUS. 37 



is wanting. The head and neck are greyish lilac with a lilac gloss, 

 changing to green ; the large nuchal patch is black with white 

 spots ; the base of the neck and upper back are richly glossed 

 with reddish lilac ; the rest of the upper plumage, including the 

 interscapulary region with the wings and tail, blackish brown with 

 a slight gloss ; the rump more leaden grey ; lower parts reddish 

 grey ; chin whitish ; breast dark, glossed with reddish lilac, 

 abdomen paler, under tail-coverts darker, and wing-lining blackish 

 brown . 



Basal half of bill plumbeous ; apical or corneous portion bluish ; 

 irides pale red; orbital skin pink ; tarsus red, paler behind; claws 

 fleshy white (Leyye). 



Length about 14; tail 5-25 ; wing 7*5; tarsus *95 ; bill from 

 gape I'l. 



Distribution. Peculiar to the hill forests of Ceylon. 



Habits, 6fc. This also is a fruit-eating bird rarely found away 

 from, forests. It has, according to Legge, a fine deep note, but not 

 so guttural as that of the Imperial Pigeon. It drinks in the 

 morning about 9 A.M. It is said to breed both in spring and 

 autumn, and to place its nest on high trees. 



1301. Alsocomus pulchricollis. The Ashy Wood-Pigeon. 



Columba pulchricollis, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1844), 

 descr. nulla; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 866 (1845); Salvadori, 

 Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 305 ; Stuart Baker, Ibis, 1896, p. 355. 



Palumbus pulchricollis, Blyth, Cat. p. 233 ; Jerdon, B. 1. iii, p. 4G5 ; 

 Hume, Cat. no. 785. 



The Darjiling Wood-Pigeon, Jerdon ; Ka-o, Lepcha. 



Coloration. Head above and at the sides ashy grey with a slight 

 gloss ; round the neck a conspicuous collar of feathers, black at 

 the base, largely tipped with glossy buff, whitish at the extreme 

 end ; lower neck all round and upper back blackish, richly glossed 

 with changeable metallic green and reddish lilac ; middle of back, 

 wings, and tail blackish brown ; lower back and rump blackish 

 leaden grey ; chin white, becoming buff on the throat and passing 

 into the glossy collar ; breast dark slaty blue glossed with green 

 and dull lilac, passing on the abdomen into the brownish buff of 

 the vent and lower tail-coverts ; wing-lining blackish. 



Bill livid at the base, yellow at the tip ; irides yellow ; legs dull 

 red, claws yellow. 



Length about 14 ; tail 5-25 ; wing 8'25 ; tarsus '9 ; bill from 

 gape '95. 



Distribution. The Eastern Himalayas in Nepal and Sikhim at 

 elevations from 7000 to 10,000 feet cr higher, and at a lower 

 elevation in the Cachar hills. The only other known locality is 

 the island of Formosa. A rare bird. 



Habits, 6fc. Two nests taken at Hungrum in Cachar on June 22nd 

 by Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker were the usual rough platforms of 

 sticks nearly 9 inches in diameter, sparsely lined with feathers 



