860 Drafts for a Fauna Indica. [No. 168. 



unusual degree of fear, and may be approached near enough to notice its 

 motions and brilliancy of colouring. Bare spots about the roots of 

 large trees, particularly of the tamarind, appear to be favourite resorts ; 

 and a pair will be occasionally found sunning themselves, arranging 

 their plumage and scraping up the earth, and beating up the dust with 

 expanded wings, after the manner of the Rasores, upon an old b'heetah — 

 the artificially raised mound of a deserted village. They soon become 

 reconciled to confinement ; and the voice is plaintive and monotonous, 

 like an oft-repeated low tone on a distant flute."* The nest of 

 this species I have never seen, but am informed that it is built in 

 low thorny trees, and often in bamboo jungle : the eggs are two 

 in number; and one taken from the oviduct (April 30th,) measures just 

 an inch long by three-quarters of an inch across, and is of a less pure 

 white than those of ordinary pigeons and doves. 



There is a nearly allied species in Australia, the Col. chrysochlora, 

 Wagler, which Mr. G. R. Gray conceives to be the true Col. javanica 

 of Gmelin. One character by which it may always be readily distin- 

 guished, is the total absence of white on the forehead of both sexes. 

 The rapidity of flight so remarkable in the Indian species, as compared 

 with our other Columbidce, is equally observable in other sub-genera of 

 Phaps, which might include even Peristera of Swain son. t 



Sub-fam. Columbismb. 



This consists of the ordinary pigeons and doves, the characters and 

 habits of which are familiar to all. They are mostly arboreal, though 



* " Columbidce of the Eastern Districts."—' Bengal Sporting Review', No. 

 IV, 1845. 



f A curious pigeon, in the guise of a Pterocles, is figured among the drawings 

 prepared under the superintendence of the late Sir Alexander Burnes and Dr. 

 Lord, marked Fahktuk (i. e. Facktah or dove, Hind.), from Cabul, which should be 

 sought for in the Scindian deserts. Total length about a foot, the wing six inches and 

 a half, and tail pointed and Pterocles-Mke, extending nearly two inches beyond the 

 lips of the wings : tarsi and toes, which, though rudely drawn, would appear to be 

 those of an ordinary pigeon, naked, and of a pink colour. Bill dusky, being also appa- 

 rently that of an ordinary pigeon, and rather slender. General colour light isabelline, 

 with darker margins to the feathers of the mantle and wings ; neck, breast and under- 

 parts, plain, the breast rufescent, and the belly and lower tail-coverts whitish ; the 

 outer tail-feathers would appear to have black tips : irides crimson. Should this here- 

 after be verified, and constitute (as seems probable) a new genus of sand-doves, 

 having the habits of the Gangas or Sand-grouse, it might bear the name Psammcenas 

 Burnesii. 



