(33) ALSOCOMUS PULCHRICOLLIS (Hodg.). 



THE ASHY WOOD-PIGEON. 

 (Plate 17.) 



Columba jmlchricolUs Hodg., in Gray's Zool. Miscel., p. 85 (1844) : descr. 

 nulla ; BIyth, J.A.S.B., XIV p. 866 ; Salvadori, Cat. B.M., XXI p. 305 ; 

 Stuart Baker, Ibis 1896, p. 355 ; Sharpe, Hand-List, I p. 71. 



Palwmbus jmlchricolUs BIyth, Cat. B.M.A.S.B., p. 233 ; Gould, B. Asia, VI 

 pi. 58; Jerdon, B.I., III p. 405; Hume, Str. Peath., VIII p. 119; 

 id.. Cat. no. 785 ; Stuart Baker, J.B.N.H.S., X p. 360. 



Alsocomus jmlchricolUs Blanf., Avi. Brit. I., IV p. 37 ; Thompson and 

 Craddock, J.B.N.H.S., XIV p. 600; Osmaston, ib., XV p. 515; 

 Harington, B. Burma, p. 67. 



Vernacular Names. Hko, Burmese ; Ka-o, Lepcha ; Daohukuruma 

 majungbi, Cachari. 



Description. — Adult male. Head and nape dove-grey, paler on the sides 

 of the head, and faiatly glossed with grey-green ; chin and centre of throat 

 white : a patch on the neck black, the feathers broadly tipped buff, paling 

 to whitish on the extreme margin — ^this patch is produced round the neck 

 as a very narrow collar, the black hardly showing on the neck below the 

 throat and the bufl being almost entirely replaced by white. Next to this 

 collar, above and below, blackish-brown, the feathers all highly glossed with 

 metallic green and purple, extending above into the interscapulars ; lower- 

 back and rump slaty-black becoming slaty-grey on the shorter upper 

 taU-coverts ; longest tail-coverts and tail blaokish-brown ; wing-coverts 

 plumbeous-brown, darkest next to the back, and most pale on the outer 

 greater coverts ; quills dark brown, the second to fifth edged narrowly with 

 pale rufous. Below changing from the slaty-brown of the breast to dull 

 huffish on the vent and abdomen, the sides of the latter more or less lUac- 

 slate ; under tail-coverts buff and under aspect of wings and axillaries 

 blackish-brown. 



Colours of soft parts. " Irides very pale yellow " (Rippon). 



Bill livid at the base, turning to yellow at the middle and tip, some- 

 times tinged with green on the cere ; irides pale to bright yellow ; legs and 

 feet dull purplish-red, or deep dull coral-red, the claws horny-brown and the 

 soles a paler red. 



Measurements. About 15 in. in total length. Wing from 7.65 in. 

 ( = 194.3 mm.) to 8.50 in. ( = 216.3 mm.), the first measurement being that 

 of an abnormally small bird, the next smallest in the British Museum 

 Collection being 7.85 in. ( = 199.4 mm.) ; average of forty-two specimens : 

 8.24 in. ( = 209.7 mm.) ; bill at front .65 in. ( = 16.5 mm.) and from gape 

 1.05 in. ( = 26.6 mm.) ; tarsus between .9 in. ( = 22.8 mm.) and 1 in. 

 ( = 25.4 mm.). Tail about 5.0 in. ( = 127 mm.). 



" Length 13| to 14 in. ; wing 8J to 9 in. ; tail 4| to 5 in." (Jerdon). 



