NICOBAR PIGEON. -Cf(?a'iif« Ninjhrv 



The NicoBAE Pigeon may fairly be reckoned among the more magnificent species 

 belonging to the Pigeon tribe ; the long pointed feathers of the neck and shoulders 

 glowing with resplendent green, bronze, and steely blue, and having a peculiarly attractive 

 effect as they droop towards the ground, their loose points waving in the wind, and their 

 hues changing with every movement. Like others of the sub- family to wdiich it belongs, 

 it is mostly a terrestrial bird. As its name imports, it is most commonly found in 

 Nicobar ; but it also inhabits Java, Sumatra, and many neighbouring islands. 



The head of this Pigeon is slaty blue, with a purplish cast, which is more conspicuous 

 in certain lights. The beautifid long-pointed feathers of the neck are greatly like the 

 hackles of the game cock, except that they hang lower on the neck. Their colour is rich 

 refulgent green, deepening into a warm copper when the light falls obliquely upon 

 them, and the wing-coverts are of the same hue, and pointed after a similar fashion. 

 The back and whole of the upper surface is glowing green, with bronze and steel-blue 

 reflections, and the under surface partakes of the same colouring, but without its peculiar 

 resplendence. The short, square tail is pure white. It is rather remarkable that in the 

 breeding season a rounded fleshy knob makes its appearance upon the upper mandible, 

 similar to that which has already been noticed in the Fruit Pigeon, on page 576. The 

 total length of this bird is about fourteen inches. 



The splendid Crowned Pigeon is indisputably the most conspicuous of all its 

 tribe ; its great size and splendid crest rendering it a most striking object, even at 

 a considerable distance. 



So large and so un-pigeon like is this bird, that few on first seeing it would be likely 

 to determine its real relations to the rest of the feathered race, and would be more likely 

 to class it among the poultry than the pigeons. If, however, the reader will lay a card 

 upon the crest so as to expose only the head, he will see that the general outline of the 

 head and beak is clearly that of a pigeon. It is a native of Java, New Guinea, and 

 the Moluccas. 



In the Zoological Gardens are several specimens of this splendid bird, whose manners 

 are very curious and interesting. Their walk is quite of a royal character, stately and 



