VINAGO DELALANDII. 



DELALANDE'S GEEEN PIGEON. 



(Plate 45.) 



Phalacrotreron deldktndii, Bonaparte, Oonsp. Av., ii, p. 6 (1864). 



Treron delalandii, Sharpe's ed. Layard Birds of S. Afr., p. 558 (1875-84). 



Vinago ddalandei, Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xxi, p. 24 (1893) ; 

 Eeichenow, Vogel Afrikas, i, p. 397 (1900-01). 



Vinago delalandii, Woodward, Natal Birds, p. 128 (1899) ; Solater, , 

 Ann. S. Afr. Mus., m, p. 352 (1905) ; Solater & Stark, Birds of 

 S. Afr., IV, p. 157 (1906). 



Local Name. " Ijubantoto " of Natal Zulus (Solater). 



Description. Length about 12 in. The sexes are aHke. 



Shalow's Green Pigeon (F. shalowi), another South African 

 species, has been recorded from Matabeleland from the north of 

 German South-west Africa, and also from the Zambesi River. 

 It differs from F. delalandii only in the oMve-green of the head, 

 the neck and under-parts being replaced by yellowish-green, 

 and the bird is slightly smaller. 



DiSTRiBtTTiON. This species ranges all over East Africa, from British 

 East Africa to the extreme east of Cape Colony. 



I have shot it in the Magahesbergen (Transvaal) and often in 

 British East Africa, where it occurs in huge flocks. Sergt. Davies 

 writes that it is fairly common in Pondoland, and is often found 

 in large flocks. 



Geebn Pigeon, like Woodcock, are very irregular in their 

 appearance in any particular district, their movements being 

 governed entirely by their food-supply. I have usually found 

 them feeding in thickly foliaged wild-figs, and have generally 

 known they were in them by hearing small twigs or figs fall 

 to the ground, the birds themselves harmonising so well 



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