THE BIl^DS OF SINGAPORE ISLAND 
r 
We may fairly claim that this hook partakes of the nature 
of "gencTal litcraturt^" rather than that of a serious contribution 
to scientific literatiirt* and therefore feel fully justified in 
retaining' the word dove for certain of our Sing^apore pigeons 
at ttic same time admittingr that only custom dictates oor action 
in so doingf and that like Newton, we know not the difference 
between a pigeon and a dove ! 
D ts cri pt'io fi t "The: sexe$ of this species are alike and one 
descrifjtion will therefore suffice for bath cock and hen. The 
forehead, cheeks, chin and throat are pale-grey, the breast very 
pale-pink (sometimes so delicate that white flushed with pink 
would convey a better idea of the plumapj'e on the breast) 
fading to white on the abdomen. The back and wingrs are 
^^reyish -brown with black bars and the sides of the neck and 
body are barred with black and white. The middle tail feathers 
are brown, bttt the others are black with broad white tips. 
Young birds are more barred thati the adults and a 
brownish colour replaces the pink tinge of the breast. 
The irjdes are white* perhaps tinged with blue, the bill 
grey and the feet purple or crimson. 
The leng^th is 8A or g inches and the wing measures about 
4 inches. 
Pisiri^ttiion : — The barred ground-dove is found in the 
south of Tenasserim and thence through the Malay Peninsula, 
where it is a common bird, to the Malaysian islands and even 
as far east as the west of New Guinea. It has been introduced 
into other places. 
Status in Singapore : — This dove is not only common in 
Singapore but also on the smaller islands nearby. On 
Blakang Mati it is numerous and its call is one of the 
characteristic sounds of the Pulau Aver Merbau group. This 
is not a gregarious bird getting together into flocks like the 
punai, nor has ir that bird's reirnlar habits, but it is of a much 
more domesticated turn of mind, and in Singapore, at least, 
is usually to be found in pairs or atone, pottering about the 
gardens or near the native villages. It is not, we should say, 
as numerous or frequently seen as the next species to be dealt 
[56] 
