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down to the ground and catch a grasshopper without settling,

and fly back to the tree to eat it. We found the Broad-billed

variety on both sides of Ecuador, and, although personally we

only met with the Red-headed ones on the Eastern side, they

come also from the Pacific side.


Doves and Pigeons are not at all abundant in either

species or numbers in the hot parts of Ecuador, and are among

the birds least met with ; still at Santo Domingo we obtained

some of the exceedingly pretty little pale grey Peristera cincrea.

They were always in pairs, running about the paths near the

huts, and they had a slight peculiarity in their habits which I

have not noticed in other Doves. When alarmed, instead of

taking flight as most Doves do, they remained immoveable,

skulking as near to the ground as possible. At times, when they

must have seen my approach long before I got to them, and

had plenty of time to clear off, although I had not noticed them,

they startled me by dashing up almost from under my feet.


This was the only species of Dove we met with in the forest

regions, but about the same districts we found the remarkably

handsome Pigeon, (a) Geotrygon pitrpurcita, which was confined

to the tops of the high trees in the thickest part of the forests.

We only shot one male ourselves, but often heard their rather

curious note, resembling a loud hoot, but seldom could catch a

glimpse of them. A rubber hunter brought me a female in the

month of July, which had an egg inside ready to be laid, but

broken, so they must have been nesting then. They seemed to

be solitary in their habits, and were certainly not common in any

neighbourhood we were in. It is a small Pigeon, barely nine

inches in length, and has its colours of snowy white, richest

purple, mulberry, green and bronze, wonderfully arranged. The

long, loose, delicately-coloured fawn feathers on the thighs also

add to its appearance. It is one of the most difficult birds to

skin that I have met with : its skin having very little more

substance in it than wet tissue paper, and the feathers fall out

copiously even with the most delicate handling. It is quite as

bad in this respedt as some of the Trogous, which are usually

considered the most difficult birds to skin. The flesh of this

Pigeon is white to a remarkable degree, and resembles alabaster

in appearance. O11 the Napo side we found a still smaller Pigeon,

the ( a ) G. sapphirina , which exactly resembles the piirpitrata

in all respects, except the back of the head and neck which are



(a.) Osculatia purpurea, and O. sapphirina, according' to the Nat. Hist. Museum Catalogue.



