COLUMBID^ TYMPANISTEIA 179 



In the female the white of the face and under parts is tinged 

 V7ith dusky ; the wing spots are black and not metallic. 



A young bird is brown above throughout, with transverse bands 

 of rufous on the coverts and secondaries, and without the metallic 

 spots ; the lower surface is grey and also shows signs of transverse 

 rufous and brown bands on most of the feathers of the neck and 

 breast. 



Distribution. — The Tambourine Dove is confined to the more 

 wooded portions of Africa, south of the Gold Coast in the west, 

 of Uganda in the centre, and of Mombasa in the east. It has also 

 been obtained in the islands of Fernando Po, Comoro and 

 Madagascar. 



Fig. 57. — Head oi Tympanistria bicolor . x |i 



In South Africa the Tambourine Dove has been found only in the 

 wooded districts along the South and East Coasts, and is apparently 

 entirely absent from the central and western districts. The follow- 

 ing are the only recorded localities : Cape Colony — Knysna (Layard 

 and S. A. Mus.), Bast London, scarce (Eickard), King William's 

 Town, scarce (Trevelyan), Port St. John's, January to March 

 (Shortridge in S. A. Mus.) ; Natal — near Durban, common (Shelley, 

 Eeid and S. A. Mus.) ; Zululand (Woodward). 



Habits. — The Tambourine Dove is only met with in thickly 

 wooded districts, such as are usually found near the coast ; it derives 

 its name from its note; this is a soft and melancholy "coo coo," 

 repeated slowly at first and afterwards more quickly, till finally it 

 ends in a more or less prolonged rattle resembling that of a tam- 

 bourine. Its note is often heard in the middle of the day, when 

 other birds are silent. According to Ayres it is seen in pairs or 

 singly, but not in companies ; it is very active and lively, of rapid 

 flight, and feeds on the seeds of trees which have dropped on the 

 ground, the principal one being that of the castor oil plant. 



