THE BRONZE-WINGED PIGEON. 



241 



They build in trees or holes of rocks, making a shallow nest of small 

 twigs loosely put together. Their eggs are never more than two in 

 number, their color a pure white; they are incubated alternately \)j 

 both sexes, and are hatched after being sat upon from eighteen to 

 twenty-one days. The young, upon exclusion, are thinly covered 

 with down, which is rapidly succeeded by the proper feathers. 



THE BRONZE-WINGED PIGEON. 



This beautiful 

 species is a native 

 of Australia, and 

 is common near 

 Sidney from Sep- 

 tember till Febru- 

 ary. It is usually 

 seen in pairs ; and 

 their voice is loud 

 and sonorous. 

 The nest is placed 

 either in the hole 

 of a mouldering 

 tree or on a stump. 

 The eggs are two 

 and white. The 

 wing-coverts are 

 remarkable for a 

 large ovate spot of 

 metallic lustre, 

 changing in differ- 

 ent lights. 



It belongs t o 

 the species Phaps, 

 which is characterized as follows by Mr. Selby. Bill moderately long, 

 rather slender; upper mandible gently deflected at the tip, and with 

 the indication of a notch or emargination. Wings of mean length ; 

 second and third feathers longest, and nearly equal. Tail slightly 

 rounded. Legs, tarsi as long as the middle toe, the front covered 

 with a double row of scales, sides and back reticulated with smaiJ 

 hexagonal scales. Hind toe short ; inner toe exceeding the outer in 

 length. Claws blunt, slightly arched. 



THE BRONZE-WINGED PIGEON. 



THE HACKLED GROUND PIGEON. 



This is a powerfully-built bird, with a strong beak, furnished with a 

 soft, conical excrescence at its base; the feet approximate the gallina- 



