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THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
12. Brush Bronze- wing Pigeon Phaps elegans Temminck 
Phaps — Gk, phaps , pigeon: el'-e-gans — L., elegans, handsome. 
Distribution . — Southern Australia and Tasmania. 
Notes. — Usually in pairs, inhabiting chiefly the scrub and heath-lands 
of the coastal districts. It is usually observed on the ground, and when 
flushed, rarely perches in a tree, but mostly alights on the ground, after 
rapidly flying a short distance. Its call is a low mournful “Coo,” gener- 
ally uttered towards evening. Food: seeds of grasses and herbaceous 
plants; also native fruits and berries, mostly procured on the ground. 
Nest. — An open, slightly cup-shaped structure, composed of sticks 
and twigs. Placed either in a thick bush or in the branches of a fallen 
tree, frequently on the ground in the shelter of a bush or grass-tree. 
Eggs. — Generally two, pure whiite. Breeding-season : usually October 
to January. 
13. Bronze-wing Pigeon Phaps chalcoptera Latham 
chal-cop r -ter-a — Gk, chalcos, bronze; Gk, pteron, wing. 
Distribution. — Australia generally, and Tasmania. 
Notes . — Usually in pairs, frequenting open forest and scrub-lands. 
It is generally observed on the ground, and when flushed, rises with a 
loud whirring noise, flies rapidly for a short distance, and then alights on 
a branch of a tree. Often it -allows one to approach quite near before 
flying, relying on its protective colouring to enable it to escape detection. 
Its call is a low mournful “Oom” repeated many times. Food : seeds of 
grasses and herbaceous plants, and native fruits and berries, mostly pro- 
cured on the ground. 
Nest . — An open, slightly cup-shaped structure, composed of sticks 
and twigs ; some nests are only frail structures, others are compactly built. 
Usually placed in the fork of a horizontal branch of a tree or bush, at 
heights up to 30 feet from the ground. 
Eggs. — Usually two, pure white. Breeding-season : generally October 
to January. 
14. Wonga Pigeon Lcucosarcia melanoleuca Latham 
Leuc-o-sar-ci-a — Gk, leucos, white; Gk, sarx , sarcos, flesh: mel'-an-o - 
leuc'-a — Gk, melas ( melanos ), black; Gk, leucos , white. 
Distribution. — Queensland, eastern New South Wales, and eastern 
Victoria ; accidental to Tasmania. 
Notes . — Also called Wonga-wonga. Usually singly or in pairs, in- 
habiting the big scrubs and brushes, where it is mostly observed on the 
ground. When flushed, it rises with a loud clapping noise of the wings 
and flies a short distance away before alighting. Generally it alights on a 
horizontal limb, where it remains quite motionless with its back towards 
the observer, relying on its coloration to escape detection. It often adopts 
the same motionless attitude when one comes across it suddenly while it 
