164 



ORNITHOLOGY OF NEPAL. 



of the small ordinary Doves. It is however, much rarer and more shy 

 than any of them. It is not very gregarious ; adheres to the forests ; feeds 

 chiefly on soft fruits, and prefers the trees to the ground ; but without 

 absolute exclusiveness of habit in that respect. Its habitat is the central 

 and lov/er hilly regions. 



Species netv, Toria Nipalensis, Nipalese Toria, nobis. 



Colour ami Size. Top of the head plumbeous ; cheeks, with the intire 

 neck and body below, lower back, upper tail coverts and central rectrices, 

 medial grass green, paler and yellower below than above ; thighs, vent, 

 and lateral inferior tail coverts picked out or tipt with white ; rest of the 

 inferior tail coverts deep buff : upper coverts of the wings, top of the back 

 and scapulars, rich maroon red ; wings black ; the great coverts and 

 tertiaries, broadly tipt and margined on the outer side with brilliant yel- 

 low ; rectrices, except the 4 central ones, plumbeous above, with a sub- 

 terminal dusky bar ; below, paler especially at the tips ; lining of the 

 wings, and the quills on the lower surface, plumbeous ; base of the bill 

 and the legs deep sanguine ; bill before the nares and the nails bluish 

 yellow horn colour ; outer circle of the iris orange red, inner circle blue ; 

 orbitar skin bright green. 



The female is nearly of the same size, but she wants the rich maroon 

 mantle of the male, being green on the upper back ; and her inferior tail 

 coverts are all green, picked out with white, like the thigh coverts : size, 

 10 to 11 inches by 16 to 17, and weight 6 to 7 oz. 



The full dimensions of a fine male are as follows: — 



Feet. Inches. 



Tip bill to tip tail, , . 10| 



Bill 0^ 



Tail, ^ ^ 



Expansion of wings, » 1 5 



1 «»i^sus, ^, , 1 



Centrb toe, 0{| 



Outer, 0}-| 



Inner 0\% 



Hind, O-jS. 



Weight, Q\ oz. 



[For sketch of the bill and foot see accompany ing plate.} 



