The PARROT PIGEON (_Phalacroteron Abyssinica_), a beautiful species of
the above group, is powerfully built, with long wings and a short tail;
its beak, which is short and strong, has the base bare and the upper
mandible hooked at its tip; the short tarsus is almost entirely covered
with feathers, and the broad-soled foot furnished with small toes; the
wing, in which the second quill is the longest, is pointed, and the tail
straight at its extremity. The plumage of this beautiful bird is pale
olive-green on the mantle and light yellow on the under side; the head,
throat, and breast are greyish green, the shoulders of a rich deep red,
the wing-covers of a blackish hue, broadly edged with pale yellow; the
quills black, edged with a lighter shade; the dark grey tail is black upon
the under portion, from the root to the centre, and from that point to
the tip of a silver-grey; the purple-red iris is surrounded by a narrow
blue ring; a bare patch which encircles the eye is blueish red, the cere
of a dirty coral-red; the white beak is shaded with blue, and tipped with
pale red; the foot is deep orange-yellow. The length of this species is
twelve and its breadth twenty-one inches; the wing measures six inches
and three-quarters, and the tail four inches and a quarter. The female is
somewhat smaller in size, but closely resembles her mate in the coloration
of the plumage.
This Pigeon has been met with in Great Namaqua Land, Western Africa,
and Abyssinia. Temminck informs us that it frequents the settlements of
the traders, and is constantly to be seen perching perfectly motionless
upon the trees during the heat of the day; at the approach of the rainy
season, he tells us, it consorts with others of its species in large
flocks, and wanders forth to more southern portions of the continent: our
own experience would, however, lead us to condemn the latter statement as
erroneous, and, indeed, all recent observations on this point prove that
this bird does not migrate. Lofty mimosa-trees, surrounded by bushes of
Christ's-thorn, and interlaced with the streaming tendrils of the cissus,
are the favourite resorts of such of these birds as inhabit regions where
those trees are abundant, while such as occupy the mountain-valleys seek
shelter amid the luxuriant foliage of the tamarind-tree, or upon the
well-covered branches of the lofty sycamore. Occasionally this species is
seen living in pairs, but most usually in small parties of from eight to
twenty birds. Even when thus associated, it is easy to distinguish the
different couples, as the males constantly perch and fly close to their
mates, towards whom they exhibit the utmost tenderness, endeavouring
to excite their attention and admiration by agitating their wings, and
caressing and tending them with all the devotion exhibited by the Parrot
for its mate. The flight of these Pigeons is rapid, and accompanied by a
harsh, shrill sound, produced by the violent motion of the wings as they
cleave the air. The voice is very unpleasing. Such of these birds as we
observed did not utter the cooing note common to many of their congeners.
The stomachs of those we shot contained berries of various kinds. Le
Vaillant informs us that the Parrot Pigeon deposits her eggs in a bed of
moss and dry leaves within a hollow tree, but this statement we believe
to be erroneous. Owing to the extreme timidity of these birds, it is
exceedingly difficult to obtain specimens.
* * * * *
The DOVES (_Columbæ_) are distinguishable from the above group by the
peculiar form of their delicate, moderate-sized beak, which is covered
with a cere at its base, is slightly vaulted, and has a hard, sharp tip.
The comparatively high, slender foot is well adapted for walking firmly
on the ground; the tail, composed of twelve feathers, is either rounded
or straight at its extremity, and the plumage not remarkable for its
brilliancy. The members of this group occupy all parts of the globe,
Europe being particularly rich in species.