262 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF INDIA. 



gather so many, and I believe that this theory stands the test 

 of practice better than most similar ones. 



A nestling obtained on the 10 th July (for the birds breed in 

 the islands, and are probably permanent residents there) was 

 similar to the adults, and just as brightly glossed on the back, 

 wings, and tail, but was of course very much smaller, wanted 

 the vinaceous tinge below, and still had quantities of pale 

 rufous thread-like down attached to the tips of the feathers. 



780 ter.— Carpopliaga insularis, Blyth. (60.) 



The Nicobar Imperial pigeon must necessarily, it seems to me, 

 stand as a distinct species under Blyth's name. It is in the 

 first place a much larger bird ; in the second place the green 

 of its upper plumage is altogether darker and bluer than in 

 any of our huge series of the preceding species from the 

 Andamans, Ceylon, Burmak, and very numerous localities on the 

 continent of India ; in the third place its under tail coverts 

 are always a dingy brown, tinged no doubt in places with 

 chesnut, but totally unlike any color ever seen in adults of the 

 preceding species. 



It must not be supposed that I assert these differences on the 

 strength of insufficient data; we preserved and brought home with 

 us no less than sixty specimens obtained on the following 

 islands : — Camorta, Nancowry, Katchall, Trinkut, Bompoka, 

 Teressa, Tillangchong, Treis, Track, and Pilu Milu, and we also 

 shot them, though we did not preserve them, on Chowra, Meroe, 

 Batty Malve, and Kondul, and in every one of the hundred 

 odd specimens that we examined these characteristics held good. 



The following is a resume of the dimensions of no less than 

 thirty-five specimens measured in the flesh : — 



Length, 17*5 to 19 - 5 ; expanse, 29 - 62 to 32'5 ; wing, 9 to 

 1025 ; tail, from vent, 6 to 7 ; tarsus, 1*1 to 1*25 ; bill, from 

 gape, 1*5 to 1 "8 ; bill, at front, 1 to 1*27 ; weight, lib. to lib. 

 12 ozs. ; closed wings reach to within from 2'12 to 3*75 of end 

 of tail ; the legs and feet are dull deep pink, pinkish red, or 

 livid purple ; the bill is pale plumbeous, paler at tip and 

 darker on cere and base ; the irides vary a good deal, sometimes 

 they are pale rnby red, sometimes clear, and sometimes dull lake 

 red ; the eyelids are pale lavender. 



No separate detailed description of the plumage seems 

 necessary. With the exception of the points already noticed, 

 this species is precisely similar to that of our Indian imperial, 

 pigeon, sylvatica, Tickell, or, if Lord Walden is correct, csnea, 

 Lin. 



