CHAPTER III 



PIGEONS AND SAND-GROUSE 



PIGEONS, as a rule, are birds of wonderful powers of flight. The young, which never 

 exceed two hi number, are hatched perfectly blind and helpless, and but sparsely clothed. 

 The}^ are nourished by a peculiar milky secretion of the parents' crop known as " pigeons' 

 milk." The operation of feeding is performed by the parent thrusting its beak into the 

 mouth of its offspring and ejecting therein the secretion just referred to. The nest is a very 

 simple structure, being composed of twigs, generally placed in a tree, but sometimes in a 

 cave or hole in a bank. The eggs, which never exceed two in number, are pure white. 



Perhaps the most beautiful species occur among the large group known as Fruit-PIGEONS. 

 Many of these are invested in raiment of vivid green and yellow, forming a little coterie 



by themselves — the Green 

 Pigeons. Others, on account 

 of their brilliancy, have been 

 designated Painted Pigeons, 

 of which, perhaps, the most 

 beautiful of all is EUGENE's 

 Pigeon. Try to imagine 

 it ! The head is pure white, 

 the upper part of the breast 

 a purple-red surrounded by 

 a dull purple band : the 

 under parts are greyish green, 

 shading into white ; the flanks 

 green ; whilst the upper parts 

 are also green, but of a rich 

 bronze tint. Another group 

 from the Fiji Islands includes 

 a magnificent species, the 

 male of which is clothed in a glorious orange, save the head and throat, which are olive- 

 yellow. His mate is scarcely less beautiful, her plumage being rich green. Another member 

 of the group— the WHITE NuTMEG-PlGEON — is clad in creamy white, with black quills, and 

 a black tip to the tail. It is a native of Borneo. The fruit-pigeons, it should be mentioned, 

 include some of the largest of living pigeons. 



Whilst many of the Pigeon Tribe seem to have succeeded in dyeing their feathers with all 

 the hues of the rainbow, others have secured equal glory by a covering which at first sight 

 would rather appear to be of burnished metal than of feathers. The most striking instance^'of 

 this is found in the magnificent NiCOEAR PiGEONs. There are two species of these birds, which 

 occur not only in the Nicobar Islands, from which they take their name, but also in the Malay 

 Archipelago and the Solomon and Pelew Islands. The general tone of the one species is black, 

 but the upper parts are superbly glossed with bronze and copper reflections. The other, from 

 the Pelew Islands, is indigo-blue in general tone. In one of the Nicobar Islands these birds 

 occur m thousands. Furthermore, these two pigeons stand alone, in that the neck-feathers 

 are greatly elongated, forming " hackles " like those of the common fowl. 



The largest of living pigeons are the GouRAS, or Crowned Pigeons. There are six species, 



414 



Ph«u by J. T. N>wman-\ IBirkham.t.d 



A PAIR OF YOUNG PIGEONS IN NEST 



The hair-like do-wn of the young pigeon is quite different to any other nestling do'ivn 



