XXII 

 GREEN PIGEONS 



GREEN birds are comparatively few in 

 number, but nearly all of those that do 

 exist are very beautiful objects. Green 

 is a colour which is rarely found alone 

 in birds. The fowls of the air of which the 

 plumage is mainly green almost invariably display 

 patches of other colour. In the familiar green 

 parrots red, pink, blue, and black occur ; the 

 green coppersmith flaunts the most gaudy hues 

 of red, crimson, and yellow ; the emerald merops 

 adorns itself with gold and turquoise ornaments ; 

 while green pigeons are birds which display the whole 

 spectrum of colours, each in a subdued form. In 

 the common Indian species the forehead is greenish 

 yellow ; the nape and sides of the head French grey ; 

 the chin and neck are old gold shading off into olive ; 

 the body is greenish olive ; the shoulder is washed 

 with lilac. The primary wing feathers are dark grey, 

 while the secondaries are similarly coloured, but 

 have pale yellow tips. The tail is slate-coloured, 

 becoming greenish yellow at the base. The feathers 

 under the tail are a dark claret colour with creamy 



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