THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 273 



hackles ; the tail and' all its upper tail coverts are bronzy 

 green ; the whole mantle and scapulars are duller, and at the 

 same time much redder and more coppery than in any of the 

 adults ; the head, neck all round, and entire lower parts are 

 brown ; the tips of the feathers glossed with dull, dark metallic 

 green ; the whole of the rest of the plumage is duller every- 

 where than in the adults. 



Davison gives the following interesting account of this fine 

 species : — "I endeavored, during my sojourn among the Nicobar 

 islands, to learn all I could about this beautiful bird, and from 

 my observations, &c, I find that in its distribution through the 

 islands it is somewhat local. I obtained it on Katchall and 

 Batty Malve, and saw it on Treis Island, and I was informed 

 by the natives that it occurred on Pilu Milu, Bompoka, 

 and Teressa, and on the western sides of Nancowry and Camorta,* 

 but at Trinkut, Kondul, the Great and the Little Nicobars 

 I failed to see it ; and the natives declared that they did not 

 occur there. Soon after my arrival at the Andamans,f while 

 going through the jungle at Aberdeen, South Andaman, I saw 

 one of these birds, it rose off the ground and flew rather low. 

 I watched it for some twenty or thirty yards, and then lost sight 

 of it ; I could not obtain a fair shot while it was flying amongst 

 the trees, and did not like to risk the chance of missing it; but 

 although I followed it up I was unable again to see it. I had 

 not up to that time seen the bird in its wild state ; but I had 

 seen one in captivity, and knew it well from descriptions, and 

 I at once recognised the bird as it rose as Caloenas. I feel 

 perfectly satisfied as to the identity of the bird, indeed its 

 conspicuous white tail, large size, and heavy clumsy flight, were 

 not to be mistaken. This was probably only a straggler, the 

 underwood of the jungles on the Andamans is so very dense that 

 it is, from what I have observed, unsuited to the habits of a bird 

 that spends at least three-fourths of its existence on the ground. 



On Katchall Island I first observed these birds " at home," if 

 I may use the expression ; I met with them in the vicinity of some 

 caves situated in the forest about a mile from the shore, some- 

 times singly, at other times a pair together, and occasionally 

 in small parties of from about half a dozen to a dozen. I went 

 several times to Katchall especially to study the habits of these 

 birds. 



" I always found them on the ground ; when disturbed they 

 fly some distance almost always beyond range of shot, and 



* We observed it on Tillanckong. 

 t It has been sent from the Cocos. 



