PIGEONS— KAGU i 97 



is common to the Mauritius, and has violet reflections on the grey head, neck, and 



breast, and the rest of the plumage greenish, save for a black bar on the tail. The 



female, on the other hand, has the head and throat green. 



Among the Columbae, the wart-pigeons (Alectrcenas) are confined 

 Pigeons. , ,,. , a , ,, .... . , , _ 



to Madagascar and the neighbouring islands. One species (A. 



nitidissima) formerly inhabiting Mauritius, where it was known as the Dutch 



pigeon, from its colouring, became extinct during the last century, when its name 



became transferred to an allied species (A. puleherrima), in which the crown is red, 



while the upper-parts are dark blue and the lower surface grey. It is about the 



size of a turtle-dove and common to Madagascar and the Seychelles. 



MADAGASCAR KAGU. 



A very curious bird is the Malagasy kagu (Mesites, or Mescenas, 

 variegatus), noteworthy for its five pairs of powder-down patches, 

 and differing in so many other respects from its apparent cousins, the cranes, that 

 it has been grouped in a separate family. In colour it is cinnamon-brown above, 

 and whitish with black spots below, the head being marked with a white stripe 

 and the breast with a rufous bar. The plumage of the back is so delicate that the 

 feathers curl forward so soon as the bird dies. By some naturalists Mesites is 

 considered to be related to the kagu (BMnochetes jubatus), of New Caledonia, 

 although by others the two are widely sundered. 



A peculiar generic type of bird from Madagascar has been described under 

 the name of Monias benschi. It is believed to be a member of the rail group, 



