PERI ST ERA Ç HAL COPTE R A, Swaim.
; Bronze-winged Pigeon.
Cohfmia chalcoptera, Jlfe;» jQrffl,'p^604,—Wagt Sjst. Av. Columba, sp 67.
Üolmh hmacÉeJlé, Temm. Pig.,fôL 2ndc fam.pl. 8. p. 17.—Tb. Pig. et Gall., tom. ii. pp. 103 and 448.
La TqmtereUe aux ailes dorées ', Sqk&: edit. de Buff., toiplWpr30?.; -
'Bronze-winged^Pigeofi? ïfath.^Gen. p .H||6 î$ -^ lf Bot;« Bay, pl.-’inp. 162r -WMte’8 Journ.,
Wm pl. in p. 146^—§liàw, Lev. Mus., p. 227. pl. 55—Lath. Gen. Hist:, vol. yiii. p. 31.—Steph. Cont. of
Shaw’s ( ^ l 'Z ^ .,. 7, and vol. xi^p.;.28Q,j^ V
'Peristêra*chalcopterâ,' Sw.aihs. .Class. ofifBirds,”svp^3ii]^. ’ -
Bhpps chalcoptena, Sëliby, Nat. Life. Om., vol. v. M^gns;Jpj. 19 5. M l R. Gçay^List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd
- ;
Qn-dai Aborigines of We||^pL Australia. •
Ar-a-war-rarwaj-^Aborigi^s. of/Pprt Essington. ^ ,
Brgnge Pigeon, Colonists oÆj|$an River.
Bronze-winged' Pigffin’’ is -so generally1*diteibu£ed! ovesvpllt .parts” dft Australia, that, without a single
^ejception, the colonists of every settlement have found theauMonnd^rg.country irihabitedi^|jfos1ifee, bird,
s,}$£ miuj&luilti I’uit l^irwtiJn*^! m lliverF‘VariiDiemen’s®aftllCan^’New.SouthiWale§rdjffei> so little from
emjs'ijihir'eiilnrin tl« 11 -to m marking., tli it lln \ must all-be regarded as ongaififfoo same species, the
.li-,ht difftruu is tli it ilffisiVur heing toi uiuabto Ijt i in idi red as. other than mjre local variations.
It is ax o iim p ^ av y bird, weighing when in good' condition £plly a b o u n d ; and its pectoral muscles being
(Jeep and fleshy, it eonsUtutesa^most excellent viand a p ^ e r a s ta n tiy eaten by everf'class of persons, being
- equafcaeceptable at the table'of t ^ Sovignor and at that of the innate of a to‘g -h i§ ||jth e interior of the
Cftiinir? Its amazing powers (/flig h t enablg; & to pass i/ ia a g g S ihly short space‘pf fenpover a great
expanse ofeountryj ?nd jqsf before sunset obserye^ softly winging its way over the plains or down
tbs gullies to ltsdrinkingsplaiL 1 bjgjigjtht .Jgjigdi ou,riit,of I§39—40, when I was encamped at the northern
B r e z i'^ S e , 1 1 (3,4 daily opp^rtiigities of^bs®dng the arrival of foHsbird'to drink; the
water for miles,'iaj'l was assured hy t p ^ s s s , ‘|f f ln g "M m the immediate tns^ny.’of O f tw tj Swi
that w is mi relylhi -a mtv supplyli It raH?ten -m iU njtm il .baMnsjin the # k » ‘ v p p h a d hirn filled by
many months'before. ^Tbj%fpccplia^Bituatipn'affibrded me an excellent opportnnity for
observing not only the Bronze-wing, bl/everytofoer Tnrd « S p itin g the neighbonrhood: few if any of the HU insectivorous or fissirostral birds ^ d e to the water-holes ; b u t.^ g te ,o th e r hand, those species.that
ml llort y-eaters (Trichoglossi and Meliphagi), were
lllpupon grain and seeds, particularly the Parrots
"Ipmtmuatly rijshing down to the ejiges of the pools, ufeuCT
egardless of my presence, their thirst for
water quite overcoming tboir sense of danger ; ^^i^im; if
er,v however, did the Bronze-wing make
its appearance during thq heat of ^ |e day, hut at sundown, I
Mthe contrary, it arrived with arrow-like
swiftness, eitlfer sfeMflr in. pairs It did. ant descend at
nee to the edge of the pooj, hut dashed
down to'.the ground a t about ten yardl'distapce, remained quiet fop a time, then-walked lefeurelyl
to the water,-gud after taking libations deep add frequent, w m § # i ^ f e o its rposting-place for the
night- with a knowledge, therefore, a/foe -habits o fM r h iM jjf e wiarv I ru. lbr .naj nlwav. punerve
when he is in th e rilin ity -o f water; and however ^ t h e appearance of the.country be, if he
observes the Bronze-wirig 'wending its way f r o |! g f quarters to a given, m j |tr he maybe certain to
procure a supply of food an® water. When rain has fallen Juibondance, and the rivers and lagoons are
filled not only (p the brim, ImYfoe water has spread Ofer-foe surfece of the surrounding country, the
case is materially altered; then the Bronze-wing and- many Other birds are not so easily procured, the
abundant supply of the elew&it so requisite to their existence rendering i f S longer necessary that thed
should brave every danger in procuring it. B H H H H
It has been supposed that a partial migration of this, species takes place fr°m ‘'me t#time, a cu-eumstanee
which I think is very probable, as its numbers are sometimes suddenly increased-^ Aften the breeding
season is over, both tbs adults and; young resort to the stubble fields o f the settlers j g ^ U b u n d a n c e ^ a t
although more than one can rarely be procured a t a s^iot, from twenty, tj. thirty bd
may be killed in a
day ■ and at this season-lt-min better condition than at any other. Although,Although, as as I I
have before stated, the
Bronze-wing is an excellent article of food, it must-yield foe palm | ‘bis respect t^tjhgWonga-wonga Pigeon
— M i and foe>artridge Bronze-wing {Geryhaps script*), whose flesh is wh.te and more dehcate
in flavour, while foe internal pectoral muscle.,Oqly of foe present g f | i s of thm c o l o u r ^
The Bronze-wing feeds entirely upon the ground» where it finds the
; kinds of leguminous seeds that