22 



NUTMEG PIGEON. 



tail is composed of twelve feathers, and is of a 

 fine blue, changing to green-gold ; the underside 

 is dusky; its inferior coverts are of a red-fer- 

 ruginous: the feet are red: the beak and claws 

 black: the irides are of a reddish orange. The 

 female has her plumage more dull than the male, 

 her neck and belly have a vinaceous hue, and on 

 the nape is a deep reddish band : the young birds 

 are reddish where the male is grey, and the wings 

 and back are of a brownish tinge, with green re- 

 flections ; the greater quills and tail are of a grey- 

 black. 



The Nutmeg Pigeon is a native of the Mo- 

 luccas and New Guinea, and other islands of the 

 Pacific Ocean : it receives its name from the cir- 

 cumstance of its feeding upon nutmegs at certain 

 seasons of the year : the mace of the larger fruit 

 serves it entirely for nourishment : the small nuts 

 are passed through the body of the bird without 

 alteration, and by that means it helps to propagate 

 this useful spice. This bird migrates in innu- 

 merable hosts at particular seasons, and appears in 

 the forests of Java, where it feeds upon the fruit 

 of the ficus religiosus. It varies considerably in 

 its plumage. 



