102 INDIAN PIGEONS AND DOVES 



collecting in very large numbers in forest-trees when they were fruiting, 

 and I have seen hterally hundreds collected on a single pepul tree, feeding 

 on the berries which were just ripe. On another occasion, also, when 

 shooting in a forest in the Mahor VaUey, at an elevation of some 1,000 ft., 

 I was attracted to some jaman, or wild-plum, trees by the continuous loud 

 and very deep call of " wuck-wurrr " made by these Pigeons, and when 

 I went close up, I could see these birds moving about aU over the higher 

 branches, feeding greedily on the ripe plimis. As it was impossible to 

 shoot them on the wing owing to the very dense forest all round, I con- 

 tented myseK with watching their movements, which were most interest- 

 ing. They were not haK so clever with their feet as the Green Pigeon are, 

 and often after clambering up or down a branch to get to some choice 

 morsel would, in craning over to catch hold of it, lose their balance, and 

 to save themselves take to wing. Once overbalanced they did not seem 

 able to pull themselves up again, yet their feet and legs must be pretty 

 powerful, for when shot and not killed outright they will often hang, head 

 downwards, cMnging on to a branch until a second shot dislodges them. 



They do not appear to be very quarrelsome birds, though a certain 

 amount of squabbhng and sparring goes on from time to time. On the 

 occasion above referred to I was watching the birds for fuUy two hoiurs, 

 but I saw no actual fights, though now and then one bird would try to 

 push another away from a bunch of plums. 



A very noticeable thing about them was the fact that they constantly 

 uttered their very deep note during the time they were feeding, whilst 

 their cousin, the Green Imperial Pigeon, is a very silent bird when so 

 employed. The birds in this tree seemed very tame, perhaps because of 

 the extreme denseness of the foliage and because I was so completely 

 screened by the undergrowth, but even when I shot a couple of birds for 

 the pot the majority of the others, numbering some two or three himdred, 

 just flew round a few times and again settled to their feast. As a rule I 

 think they are rather shy birds, and are difficult to get near if the trees 

 they are in are not dense enough to hide them effectually. 



It has only once fallen to my lot to make a respectable bag of these 

 fine Pigeons. On this particular occasion I was lucky enough to come 

 across a gigantic pepul tree standing in bamboo-jungle which had seeded 

 and was therefore very thin and bare. Consequently the tree stood well 

 in view, and by selecting a comparatively bare place amongst the bamboo- 

 clumps which was well under their hne of fhght, I enjoyed a couple of 



