92 EUSH TVANDBEINGS. 



CHAPTEE VII. 



THE PIGEON— THE SNIPE— THE EAIL. 



The bronze-wing pigeon, for size and beauty of plumage, 

 certainly stands No. 1 on the list of Australian bush 

 game ; and of this bird we had two varieties,— the com- 

 mon bronze-wing and the scrub pigeon. 



The Sronze-Wing is a beautiful bird, plumper and 

 larger than the dove-house pigeon, but not so large as 

 the British wood-pigeon ; the upper plumage dark 

 brocoli-brown, the breast and neck glossy and shining, 

 the under parts light, the forehead white, and on the 

 wing is a beautiful speculum of bright bronze-coloured 

 feathers, from which the bird derives its name. We had 

 no blue pigeon in Victoria. The male bird is finer and 

 handsomer in plumage than the female, the white on the 

 forehead much larger, tinged with chestnut-red, and I 

 fancy that this tint becomes deeper with age ; the cheeks 

 and throat are deep chestnut, the wing-speculum larger 

 and brighter ; and a glorious bird does an old cock 

 bronze-wing look, when seated on the bare limb of a 

 large gum-tree, his burnished wings, chestnut head, 

 and glossy breast reflected in the rays of the evening 

 sun. 



Like most of the game birds, the bronze-wing pigeon 



