CHAPTER III 
PIGEONS AND SAND-GROUSE 
P IGEONS, as a rule, are birds of wonderful powers of flight. The young, which never 
exceed two in number, are hatched perfectly blind and helpless, and but sparsely clothed. 
They are nourished by a peculiar milky secretion of the parents’ crop known as “ pigeons’ 
milk.” The operation of feeding is performed by the parent thrusting its beak into the 
mouth of its offspring and ejecting therein the secretion just referred to. The nest is a very 
simple structure, being composed of twigs, generally placed in a tree, but sometimes in a 
cave or hole in a bank. The eggs, which never exceed two in number, are pure white. 
Perhaps the most beautiful species occur among the large group known as Fruit-pigeons. 
Many of these are invested in raiment of vivid green and yellow, forming a little coterie 
by themselves — the Green 
Pigeons. Others, on account 
of their brilliancy, have been 
designated Painted Pigeons, 
of vv'hich, perhaps, the most 
beautiful of all is Eugene’s 
Pigeon. Try to imagine 
it! The head is pure white, 
the upper part of the breast 
a purple-red surrounded by 
a dull purple band: the 
under parts are greyish green, 
shading into white ; the flanks 
green ; whilst the upper parts 
are also green, but of a rich 
bronze tint. Another group 
from the Fiji Islands includes 
a magnificent species, the 
male of which is clothed in a glorious orange, save the head and throat, which are olive- 
yellow. His mate is scarcely less beautiful, her plumage being rich green. Another member 
of the group — the White Nutmeg-pigeon — is clad in creamy white, with black quills, and 
a black tip to the tail. It is a native of Borneo. The fruit-pigeons, it should be mentioned, 
include some of the largest of living pigeons. 
Whilst many of the Pigeon Tribe seem to have succeeded in dyeing their feathers with all 
the hues of the rainbow, others have secured equal glory by a covering which at first sight 
would rather appear to be of burnished metal than of feathers. The most striking instance of 
this is found in the magnificent NiCOBAR PIGEONS. There are two species of these birds, which 
occur not only in the Nicobar Islands, from which they take their name, but also in the Malay 
Archipelago and the Solomon and Pelew Islands. The general tone of the one species is black, 
but the upper parts are superbly glossed with bronze and copper reflections. The other, from 
the Pelew Islands, is indigo-blue in general tone. In one of the Nicobar Islands these birds 
occur in thousands. Furthermore, these two pigeons stand alone, in that the neck-feathers 
are greatly elongated, forming “ hackles ” like those of the common fowl. 
The largest of living pigeons are the Gouras, or Crowned Pigeons. There are six species, 
28 
Photo by J. T. Newman'J \_Berkhamsted 
A PAIR OF YOUNG PIGEONS IN NEST 
The hair-like doivn of the young pigeon is quite dijferent to any other nestling down 
