302 Novelties. — Carpophaga palumhoides. 



Carpophaga palumboides, 8]). Nov. 



Tail ftmch rounded ; second quill longest ; whole head and n^ck all round 

 pale French grey ; wings and tail, hlachish ; rest of plumage dusky 

 slaty blue, the upper surface with in certain lights metallic reflections ; 

 green predovninating about the hack of the base of the neck and lilac 

 purple elsewhere. Wing, 9 '5. 



I 



This fine pigeon is from Port Monat, Andamans. At first 

 I thought it might he insularis, Blyth, biit that I find is 

 a mere variety of si/lvatica, while this is not only totally distinct^ 

 so far as plumage goes from that species^ but (though not white) 

 belongs to a different sub-group^ which Reichenbach separated as 

 Mp'isticivora. 



Of all the fruit pigeons I know it most nearly resembles 

 (Bnea, Lin., but compared with a specimen from JBorneO;, it ap- 

 pears to me quite distinct. 



I have only a single specimen and that is a female. The 

 measurements recorded in the flesh were as follow : Length, 16"25 ; 

 expanse, 29; tail from vent, 6-5; wing, 9-5; tarsus, 1; bill from 

 gape, I'h ; wings, when closed, reach to within 2*5 of tip of tail; 

 weight, 1 lb. 2 oz. 



Back and sides of tarsi and toes, very pale fleshy pink ; front 

 of tarsi, bright red ; soles, whitish ; claws white ; upper mandible 

 and lower mandible to point of gonys, pale, whitish yellow ; 

 rest of lower mandible and cere, lake red ; irides, orang-e, towards 

 pupil, changing towards exterior margin to light red ; naked 

 orbital region, pinkish lake. 



The whole head and neck all round, a pale, pure Erench 

 grey, slightly palest on chin and throat. The whole of the 

 rest of the lower parts, dark, dusky slaty blue, becoming- blackish 

 on lower wing- and longest lower tail coverts : rectrices and 

 their coverts, winglet, quills, and their greater coverts, blackish 

 brown, the second to the fourth of the quills very narrowly 

 margined on the terminal three-fifth of the outer web with 

 brownish white ; the rest of the upper parts (not already 

 described) dusky slaty, almost black on the coverts, each 

 feather with a more or less narrow terminal or subterminal 

 band exhibiting in certain lights, pale green and purplish lilac 

 metallic reflections, the green predominating about the base of 

 the back of the neck, and on the coverts and the purplish gleam 

 elsewhere. In one particular lig'ht a stripe of the inner webs of 

 the primaries next the shafts, appears to glow with a golden 

 brown lustre. 



