28 THE BIRDS OF ATJSTEALIA 



The Little Dove. 



Geopelia cuneata. 



Australia. 



Head, neck and breast grey; abdomen and under tail coverts white; 

 nape, back and scapulars pale brown; wing-coverts dark grey, each 

 leather with two white spots encircled with black; four central tail 

 feathers grey, the others greyish-black at the base and white for the 

 remainder of their length. Total length 7.5 inches, wing 3.7, tail 4, 

 T)ill 0.42, tarsus 0.5. 



Nest very small, frail, built of grass or fine twigs. 

 The two eggs are white and measure .77 x .60 inch. 



An intermediate form between G. tranquilla and G. cuneata 

 has been described from Carnarvon, W. Australia, Tinder the 

 name of G. shortridgei. It has transverse blackish lines on 

 the foreneck and chest, a pinkish wash on the breast, and 

 measures 8 inches, tail 4.1, tarsus 0.6. 



Sub-family Phabinm. 

 Metallic blue or green patches on the wings. Size moderate. 



Key to the Genera. 

 A. — EuMP WITH Two Dabk Cross Bands. 



Upper wing coverts entirely metallic golden green. Chialcopliaps. 



3. — EuMP Without Dakk Cross Bands. 



A. Head not crested. 



Secondaries an incli or more shorter tlian the 

 primaries. 

 General plumage not uniform. 



Tail of 16 feathers. Phaps. 



Tail of 14 feathers. Histriophaps. 



General plumage almost uniform dark brown. Petrophassa. 



Secondaries rather less than an inch shorter than 



primaries. G-eophaps. 



B. Head crested. 



Tail short, nearly even. Lophophaps. 



Tail long and very much rounded. Ocyphaps. 



The Little Green Pigeon. 



Ghalcophaps chrysochlora. 



New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island, New Hebrides, South-east New 

 -Cruinea, Moluccas, Lesser Sunda Island, Australia, and Timor Group. 



Male: Head, neck, upper back, breast, and abdomen vinous; back 

 and wings green; lower back and upper tail-coverts blackish; on the 

 lower back two greyish bars, and between them a band of bronze; throat. 



