THE EMERALD DOVE. 
297 
Subfamily PHAPIDIN^. 
Genus CHALCOPHAPS, Gould. 
657. CHALCOPHAPS INDICA. 
THE EMERALD DOVE. 
Columba indica, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 284. Chalcophaps indica, Jerd. B. Ind. 
ii. p. 484 ; Hume, Nests and Egys, p. 509 ; id. S. F. ii, p. 269, iii. p. 165 ; Salvad. 
Ucc. Born. p. 299 ; Bowdillon, S. F. iv. p. 404 ; Bl. B. Burm. p. 147 ; David et 
Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 384 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped. p. 667 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi. 
p. 424 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 110 ; Leyye, Birds Ceylon, p. 714 ; Oates, S. F. x. 
p. 235 ; Kelham, Ibis, 1881, p. 528. 
Description. — Male. Eorehead and a supercilium greyish white ; crown, 
nape, a narrow line down the hind neck and a band across the upper back 
deep bluish grey ; sides of the head and neck and the whole lower plumage 
deep vinaceouSj rather duller on the abdomen ; under tail-coverts ashy ; 
back, wing-coverts and tertiaries bright metallic green ; the smaller coverts 
near the edge of the wing chiefly white ; below the green of the back a 
narrow band of ashy, then a broad black band, then another ashy one, and 
finally a very broad band, which, with the upper tail-coverts, is dark ashy 
brown tipped darker ; the three central pairs of tail-feathers dark brown 
tipped paler, the others banded with black and ashy ; quills dark brown, 
the outer webs of the secondaries chiefly metallic green ; under wing- 
coverts chestnut. 
The female diff'ers in having the colours of her plumage much duller and 
in having hardly any white on the wing- coverts. 
Bill red ; iris dark brown ; eyelids plumbeous ; legs dusky red ; claws 
pale horn-colour. 
Length 10*5 inches, tail 4, wing 5*8, tarsus 1, bill from gape '9. The 
female is a little smaller. 
The Emerald Dove is found over the entire province in well-wooded 
% localities. 
It occurs all over India, Ceylon and the Andaman s, the Indo-Burmese 
countries, South China^ Cochin China, Siam, the Malay peninsula and all 
the islands nearly down to Australia. 
This beautiful Dove frequents forests and thick gardens, such as those 
which are to be found outside Rangoon on the Prome road. It is met 
with as often in small flocks as in pairs; audit feeds entirely on the ground. 
The nest is placed in bushes ; and it will probably be found to breed in 
Burmah during the hot weather and the early part of the rains. 
