CEOCOPUS CHLOEIGASTEK. 
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very bi-oadly edged and tipped with dull white ; under wing-coverts slaty, tinged with green ; lower thigh-coverts 
slaty green, edged with white. 
Female has the yellow of the hind neck dusky and that of the chest greener than in the male ; point of the wing and 
the edges of the adjacent lesser coverts hlac ; shorter under taU-coverts greenish slate, the longer feathers as in 
the male, and the whole similarly edged. 
Ohs. This species is very closely allied to the northern Green Pigeon, G. plicenicopterus, which is said by Jerdon to be 
larger (wing from 7'2 to 8'0 inches), and has the forehead and head strongly tinged with green, and the blue of 
the crown less decided, the lilac wing-spot larger, the centre of the lower breast and abdomen bright yellow, 
the tail greenish at the base. Two examples of this species in the British Museum, collected by Capt. Pin well, 
measure 7'3 and 7' 6 inches in the wing. One has a pure slate-coloured tail, with no green at the base. 
C. viridifrons, Blyth, from Burmah, Pegu, and Tenasserim, is an exceedingly handsome species of this genus. A 
male (Burmah) measures — wing 7‘25 inches ; tail 4-5 ; bill to gape 1-6. The forehead and front of crown, lores, 
face, and throat olive-green ; occiput, nape, and ear-coverts slate-blue, sharply defined against the green ; yellow 
collar broader than in G. chlorigaster, and the yellow of the chest richer ; more than the basal half of the tail 
olive-yellow, defined against the broad, dark, slate-coloured terminal band ; breast and flanks delicate slate-blue, 
clearly defined against the yellow chest. 
Distribution. — This fine Pigeon I was never fortunate enough to meet with. It appears to inhabit (or 
visit, according to Layard) the extreme north of the island j and there are two specimens of his collecting in 
the Poole Museum. He states that “ it is migratory, only appearing in the fruit season, and returning again to 
the coast of India.” Mr. Holdsworth procured it near Aripu on the north-west coast, so that it would not 
appear to be entirely confined to the extreme north. I searched diligently for it in the Trincomalie and 
north-central districts, but never saw it. It probably inhabits the forest country stretching from the Elephant 
Pass south-westwards to the gulf of Manaar ; but why it should restrict itself to that part of the island it is 
hard to say. That it migrates to the island in the fruit season is, I think, scarcely a tenable hypothesis, for 
all our visitors (those which come in any number) are regular migrants influenced by the ordinary instinct, 
and moving southwards in the cool season. The banyan-fruit is, I think, chiefly ripe in March, April, and 
May, which would scarcely be the time when any species would visit our shores. 
Jerdon writes that tliis species replaces the Bengal Green Pigeon throughout the greater part of the 
peninsula of India; he considered it to be rare north of the Nerbudda, though occasionally killed in Lower 
Bengal. It is, however, found, according to Capt. Butler, throughout the plains of Northern Guzerat, “in 
all well-wooded districts'”; and Mr. Hume adds that it occurs throughout all the surrounding region, though 
very rare in Sindh, in which pro'vince it has only recently been procured at Jacobabad by Mr. J. A. Murray. “ It 
is very abundant,^^ says J erdon, “ in many parts of Southern India, especially along the fine avenues of 
trees met with in many parts of Mysore and the Carnatic.” Concerning its locale in the Deccan, Messrs. 
Davidson and Wender write that they observed it but rarely about Sholapoor. It was commonest at 
Lanoli and Egutpoora, and its nest was taken on the Satara hills, where it is common in March. It was 
also seen at Nulwar. The Eev. Dr. Eairbank found it everywhere in the Khandala district, but nowhere 
abundant ; he likewise obtained it in avenues at the north base of the Palanis. The localities recorded by 
Mr. Ball for it are the Eajmehal hills, Manbhum, Lohardugga, Sirguja, Gangpur and Samuda, Sambalpur 
and Orissa on the north of the Mahan adi, Nowagarh and Karial, and the Godaveri valley; and elsewhere 
(Str. Eeath. 1874, p. 423) he remarks that most of the specimens he procured in Chota Nagpur belonged to 
this and not the northern speciem Mr. Hume records it from Etawah, Bareilly, Oudh, Futtehgurh, and 
Meerut, and likewise from various localities in the Central Province, in all of which he states that it breeds. 
Habits. — As regards this fine Pigeon’s habits in Ceylon I know nothing but that it is said by Layard to 
be very fond of the fruit of the banyan. Jerdon states that “ it comes in large parties, generally about 
9 A.M., to certain spots on river-banks to drink, and, after taking a draught of water, occasionally walks a few 
steps on the damp sand, appearing to pick up small pebbles, pieces of gravel or sand.” Their call, he says, 
“ is very similar to that of the Bengal Green Pigeon ;” but this he does not describe. Like all its family it is 
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