54 INDIAN PIGEONS AND DOVES 



after a flock had visited and been frightened away from a grove, a 

 large number of these Mttle oranges were to be found lying under the 

 trees ; and it reaUy looked as if, after they had tasted the fruit and 

 found it unpalatable, they had then set to work to mischievously 

 destroy what they did not care to eat. 



They are rather shy birds, and if seated in scantily covered trees 

 generally take to flight before one gets close enough for a shot, but 

 if in very densely covered ones they often trust to the fohage screening 

 their green bodies from view, and will remain where they are, absolutely 

 stiU and silent, until the intruder departs, or curiosity gets the better 

 of their nervousness, and they commence to move about in the endea- 

 vour to get a better view of him. Beavan found them in Manbhum, 

 feeding on the fruit of the nux vomica in company with other Pigeons. 



Their movements when feeding are very slow and methodical, 

 and though they will occasionally fly from one part of a big tree to 

 another, they usually make their way by climbing hand over hand — 

 or I suppose one should say foot over foot — along the boughs and 

 branches. They are quarrelsome birds, of course — aU Pigeons and 

 Doves are — ^and resent any other bird. Pigeon or other kind, coming 

 too close to them as they feed. If thus disturbed they open their 

 mouths wide and emit a sort of hissing croak ; and if this awe-inspiring 

 sound is not sufficient to induce the other bird to go, they clamber 

 up to within a foot or two of him, and then launch themselves at him, 

 endeavouring to beat him over the head with their wings. They also 

 peck one another freely, and will try to get a firm hold of the feathers 

 of the other bird's head ; and this once obtained, will shake and pull 

 until the feathers come out, or the opponent gets in a smack with his 

 wing hard enough to make the other leave go. I have often seen males 

 in the early spring, when most of the fighting goes on, with their heads 

 quite raw and bleeding ; but at the same time the most serious injuries 

 are probably caused by blows with the shoulder of the wing, which 

 are given with quite sufficient force to stun. 



They have quite a large range of conversational notes, covering 

 much bad language, and not a httle which we may hope to be good • 

 but then: ordmaiy notes are the sweet whistHng ones common to 

 aU the Green Pigeons. Possibly the whistlmg of the Orange-headed 

 Green Pigeon is not quite so melodious as that of some others such 

 as the Pm-tailedand Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, but it is very'sweet 



