GREY-HEADED IMPERIAL PIGEON 105 



Davison was the first to obtain its nest which he took in Tenasserim. 

 He writes : " While ascending the North West slope of Muleyet on the 

 27th January I flushed a Pigeon (which I shot) off her nest in a small sapling 

 growing close to the path, but in very heavy virgin forest. The nest was 

 the usual Pigeon type of nest, a mere apology, of a few dry twigs loosely put 

 together. There was only one egg fresh, but the female, on dissection, showed 

 no signs of being about to lay another, so it is probable that one egg only is 

 laid by this species. The egg is, of course, pure white and glossy, nearly 

 the same thicfaiess at both ends, but a little pointed towards the smaller end. 

 It measures 1.61 in length by 1.15 in width." 



I have taken two or three nests of this fine Pigeon in North Cachar, taking 

 also one of the parent birds, so that there was no doubt as to their identification. 

 These nests were all slight structures of twigs and sticks, mostly torn from 

 trees and still quite pliant and soft, interlaced into platforms about 10 in. 

 across, and some 2 or 3 in. deep. There was no lining of any kind, and the 

 depression was of the shallowest. 



In each case the nest was placed in a small tree in evergreen-forest at 

 about 12 to 20 ft. from the ground. 



Of the three nests of which I have personal records, one was taken at 

 Laisung, North Cachar, over 4,000 ft. ; one at Guilang, a little lower, and one 

 in the Mahar Valley at about 2,000 ft. Each contained a single fresh egg 

 and they were taken in May and June. 



Hopwood, in a letter to me, says that he has taken the eggs in the Chin 

 Hills this year, apparently in the end of April. 



Six eggs in my collection vary between 1.72 in. ( = 43.6 mm.) and 1.94. 

 ( = 49.1 mm.) in length, and between 1.26 in. ( = 32 mm.) and 1.44 

 ( = 35.4 mm.) in breadth. 



They are of the usual regular elliptical shape, in one or two cases a trifle 

 more pointed at one end. The surface is highly glossy and the texture soft 

 and smooth. 



In its habits this bird differs in no way from the last. Harington 

 says that it is entirely a hill-bird, keeping to the higher hills. 



