252 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



Adult female. Differs from the male in smaller size and in having the fore-part 

 of the head grey, the hinder crown earth-brown, like the hind-neck and upper back, 

 the absence of "grey on the ear-coverts and sides of neck, the much paler vinous 

 on the breast, and the paler grey on the abdomen. Total length 330 mm. ; culmen 

 26, wing 182, tail 103, tarsus 28. 



Young male. Distinguished from the adult male by the almost entire absence 

 of metallic spote on the wing-coverts, which are dark grey, edged with white ; hinder 

 part of head earth-brown, with a few maroon -chestnut feathers appearing, and the 

 fore-part of the head white. 



Nest. A slight structure or platform of twigs, slightly concave and about five 

 inches in diameter. Usually placed in the fork of a horizontal limb of a low tree, 

 sometimes on a bushy branch or even on a stump in the forest, rareh r on the ground. 



Eggs. Clutch, two; smooth and glossy and pure white; axis 32-36 mm., 

 diameter 23-24. 



Breeding-season . Usually from October to November ; but eggs have been 

 taken from April to September. Two broods are reared in the year. 



Distribution and forms. Restricted to Australia, where four races have been 

 diagnosed as : P. c. chalcoptera (Latham) from New South Wales, Victoria and South 

 Queensland ; P. c. consobrina Mathews from North-west Australia, Northern 

 Territory and Northern Queensland, a paler race of smaller size, as wing $ about 

 190 mm., typical 200 mm. ; wing $ about 180, typical about 193 mm. average ; 

 P. c. murchisoni Mathews from mid-West Australia, of more sandy coloration above, 

 and more suffused with pink below ; and P. c. riordani Mathews from Melville 

 Island, Northern Territory, with a lighter fore-head, a darker back and still more 

 pinkish under-surface. 



Genus COSMOPELIA. 



Cosmopelia Sundevall, Meth. Nat. Av. Disp. Tent, pt. n., p. 100, (before June 12th) 1873. 

 Type (by original designation) : Columba elegans Temminck and Knip. 



Large Ground-Doves with slender bills, long wings, short rounded tail and stout 

 short legs and feet. The bill is as long as in the preceding genus, though the bird 

 is less and is formed exactly on the same plan, the dertrum scarcely differentiated, 

 the tip projecting and deflexed in a forward direction, the gonys a little longer, but 

 little ascending, the interramal space showing anteriorly a naked space. The wing 

 is more rounded, the first primary about equal to the fifth, the second, third and 

 fourth a little longer, subequal and longest, the secondaries very broad, rounded 

 and short, the first primary is faintly incised on the inner web, the second to the 

 fifth rather noticeably scalloped on the outer web. The tail is a little rounded, 

 about half the length of the wing, composed of fourteen feathers, very broad and 

 rather square at their extremities. The legs are short, the tarsus stout and on the 

 front showing a double row of large hexagonal scutes and on the sides and back 

 very small reticulate scaling can only be seen ; the tarsus is about the same length 

 as the culmen and longer than the middle, the outer a little shorter than the inner ; 

 the hind -toe short, all the claws rather short and becoming flattened. 



Coloration rufous -brown above with bronze markings on coverts and vinous 

 below. 



171. Cosmopelia elegans. BRUSH BRONZE-WINGED PIGEON. 



Gould, Vol. V., pi. 65 (pt. xiii.), Dec. 1st, 1843. Mathews, Vol. I., pt. 3, pi. 36. April 29th, 

 191 1- 



Columba elegans Temminck and Knip, Les Pigeons, Vol. II., p. 56, pi. 22, 1810 : Tasmania. 



