Two Handsome 
Fruit-Pigeons. 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
(!3i) 
Two Handsome Fruit-Pigeons. 
By WESLEY T. PAGE, F.Z.S., etc. 
The Blue-tailed Fruit-Pige on 
(Carpophaga concinna). 
All the species of Fruit-Pigeons are exceeding 
fine and handsome birds, but none of them sur¬ 
pass concinna in beauty either of plumage or 
form. Specimens have been taken in the 
Moluccas, Aru Islands, Ke, Banda, Matabello, 
Goram, Ke Doulan, Damma, Tannibar, and 
Sanghir Islands. 
Plumage. 
The back, wings and tail, lustrous metallic 
green; according to light-refraction there are 
golden, blue and violet reflections; under tail 
coverts, rufous; the. remainder of the plumage is 
a lovely bluish white; legs and feet, coral red; 
eye, golden yellow. Described from living speci¬ 
mens at our London Zoo. 
Housing and Treatment. 
These fine birds would thrive in any roomy 
aviary to which a well-lighted shed was attached. 
In this they would be shut up during severe 
weather; they would most probably breed after 
they had been about a year in same and become 
thoroughly accustomed to their quarters and 
attendant. Their diet should consist largely of 
fruit, but they should also have access to soft 
food, seed and small corn. Boiled rice and 
chopped boiled carrot is very suitable food for 
such birds; care should be taken that their food 
is not too fattening; all corn given to them 
should be thoroughly soaked, as they do not 
naturally eat grain, living constantly in trees and 
feeding on berries and buds. 
A Curious Courtship. 
Their call is a hoarse and somewhat booming 
grunt, which both sexes utter, but that of the 
male is much more resonant than that of the 
female. The courting movements of these hand¬ 
some birds are interesting and also amusing, 
and to us humans they are certainly very 
grotesque; the neck of the male is puffed out, 
the head lowered, and his booming hoo-hoo-hoo 
it uttered to the aocompaniment of bows; this is 
continued for quite a little time, the notes are 
more rapidly uttered, and the bird jumps or 
dances rapidly up and down on the branch; it 
is more of a jump than a dance, for both feet 
leave the perch, and a distinct tap is audible as 
they come in contact with the branch again, 
almost similar to “beating time.” The above 
notes were made at the Zoo. 
The Imperial Nicobar Fruit-Pigeon 
(Carpophaga insularis ). 
This bird is very similar to the preceding 
species, so much so that there is but little that 
need be said thereon. The back, wings and tail 
are metallic green, the remainder of the plumage 
is pale blue-grey. 
This species is also represented at the Zoo, 
where they have nested and successfully reared 
one young bird. The nest was merely a collection 
of sticks arranged on a small wicker platform 
fixed among the branches in the Western Aviary. 
These beautiful birds, once they are 
acclimatised, are not at all delicate; in fact, they 
can then be left out of doors all the year round 
providing they have a weather-tight shed attached 
to their aviary, to which they can retire when 
so disposed; the shed should be well lighted, so 
that they could be kept therein during very ex¬ 
treme weather. Feed as advised for C. concinna. 
A pair of these birds in a roomy garden aviary 
disporting themselves in the sun is a sight sure to 
be long remembered, and it is certainly to be 
hoped that these exquisite birds will be more 
frequently imported in the future than in the 
past. 
A Domestic Defaulter in the 
Rookery. 
