4i 8 The Plover-like Birds 



parts, while the tail is of uniform color and the inner primaries of normal shape. 

 As the appearance and habits of the various species is quite similar it may be 

 necessary to describe only two of these forms. Thus the Nicobar Fruit Pigeon 

 (C. insularis), a bird some eighteen or nineteen inches long, has the head, neck, 

 upper mantle, breast, and abdomen gray, while the back, rump, and wings are 

 dark metallic green, and the under tail-coverts dull chestnut. The Imperial 

 Fruit Pigeon (C. anea), which is widely spread through the Indian peninsula, 

 Ceylon, the Indo-Chinese countries to the Malay Peninsula and the Philippines, 

 is about seventeen inches in length, with much the same coloration as the last 

 except that the under tail-coverts are deep chestnut. Certain other species, 

 such as C. rosacea, have more or less of a vinous color over the upper parts and 

 breast. 



The genera formerly included in Carpophaga may be briefly enumerated. 

 Thus Ptilocolpa of the Philippine Islands may be known by having the first 

 primary much scooped on the inner web, and the plumage grayish green above 

 with the crop region ashy gray or coppery, and the breast and abdomen some 

 shade of chestnut. Three species are known. The group of nine species referred 

 to Zonophaps have the upper plumage metallic golden green, often more or 

 less purple or coppery, and the tail with a gray band near the tip or middle. 

 In Ducula, the seven species of which range from India through the Burmese 

 countries and the Malay Peninsula to the Sunda Islands, the tail is rather long 

 with a broad light band at the tip, while the inner primaries are broad and 

 obliquely cut at the extremity. Quite distinct from all these is the monotypic 

 Cryptophaps pcecilorrhoa of the northern Celebes, which may be recognized 

 by the naked lores and a white band at the tip of the tail, the general color being 

 shining black, glossed with olive-green. In the last genus (Zoncenas], which 

 includes eight species, all of the Papuan Islands, the lores are feathered, but 

 there is a broad naked band surrounding the eye, and the plumage is slate-gray 

 or slate-black. 



Nutmeg Pigeons. Passing over the genus Phanorhina with its single very 

 large species ( P. goliath} confined to New Caledonia, we may mention the Nut- 

 meg Pigeons (Myristicivora), in which the general plumage is white or creamy 

 white, with the wings and tail mainly black or slate-gray. Of these the Pied, 

 Imperial or White Nutmeg Pigeon (M. bicolor] is one of the handsomest. It 

 is about sixteen inches long and creamy white except the primaries, secondaries, 

 and the terminal half of the middle tail-feathers, which are black. This species 

 has a wide range from the Andamans and Nicobars through the Malay Archi- 

 pelago to New Guinea, being for instance very abundant on the Nicobars, where 

 it occurs in great numbers. It keeps much to the mangrove swamps, feeding 

 entirely on fruits and having the habits of the true Fruit Pigeons. The nest is 

 the usual rude platform of sticks, placed in the mangroves, wherein a single 

 white egg is laid sometime between January and March. In New Guinea and 

 northern Australia the place is taken by a closely related form (M. spilorrhoa), 

 which differs in having certain of the under parts with black spots. It lives 

 entirely among the branches of the highest trees, feeding especially on the fruits 



