PINE-NECKED GREEN PIGEON 63 



I have seen parties bring in over two hundred birds. Our luck was 

 out, however, on this occasion for it afterwards transpired that another 

 party had, unknown to us, visited this same spot a couple of days 

 before ; the result was that instead of approaching the island fairly 

 low over the water the Pigeons flew high up, mostly out of range, tUl 

 exactly over the trees, when they seemed to close their wings and dive 

 headlong into the trees. On reading this some may ask why we did 

 not land and stand imder the trees or in a clearing ? The obvious 

 retort would be that such people had never seen a mangrove swamp 

 at close quarters — ^there is not an inch of dry land, nothing but shmy 

 mud of unknown depth, and a tangled mass of roots which nothing 

 but a snake or mongoose could get through ! By this time it was 

 getting dusk, and the flight ceased as abruptly as it had begun, and as 

 we could not induce any Pigeons to come out and fly around (no amount 

 of shooting or firing into the air will make them quit the trees) we 

 picked up the slain — only some two dozen — and made for the launch 

 where baths, dinner, pipes and beds awaited us." 



Davison says that they have " a soft, low whistle, ending in a 

 sort of ' coo,' very unlike that of 0. chloro'ptera, malabarica, etc." And 

 again he says that its note is much hke that of Treron nepalensis, though 

 much softer, and he adds that in habits also it closely resembles that 

 bird. 



