PERISTERA ELEGANS.
Brush Bronze-winged Pigeon.
r. Columbaehjane, Culfimui* Lt&iadi'f^ffeumi t’lr^fo.l^Si^Tpu’*!)!-22 [> GO.—-Temm. Pig. ct Gall., tom. ii.
'1 S ' ,pp. 2 40 a n d 466.—W a g l, S y st. At. Qolumba, sjr 58.—Sh aw, Gen. Zool., vol. xi. p . 43.
Opalma Ptnenn. Tja th .Ge.n.’ 1ho , 'J
Colmnha Laweonii, S icb er, Isis No . 67.
06-da, Aborigines of Western AustyaUo,
little lirtmze I’igewS C.^cwxls of _Swan'Ili
T his species is neither so plentifol nor so widely distributed as the Common Bronze-wing (JPeristera chal-
coptêtipp' it is, hcnveygnj tolerably abundant in Van Diemen’s IwndWMall lanfejniBasa’a Straits, and the
j & of the southern portion of the Australian continent, from SwanfBiver on the west to Moreton Bay on
Jtbgeast»,-, In Va^TMemsifsLand ffl i, vioiyinniiLroiis. all along thfanaÉm^ebaat?from Circular Head to die
fnórth-ï .[.ft rrocorm^ of ihe Island. Its habits and economy are spmewhat peculiar » I have never seen it
perch on the branches of’% tree, nor have I heard of anyone vri^huyi.ue.uhs' r-is it an inhabitant of the open
u k » S ,5teit affects the 'most scfjibjiy localities, giving preference to such as are low and swampy. When
flushedM. rjses very aujfikly with a bud hurrjng.ngise similar to tfij^fmade hy the rising of a partridge, which
bird it also mnciv resembles in its carriage, rind contour when on i||egrQund. The shortness ofiitS' wings
and toifomyLthe: extreme depth of, feppctOMik igijggfo render Us appearance more pbfflf l i f t round than
th a tfnMlh# generality of Pigeons. I t is ^ v e r^ d ^ im lty h i^ idishbol^Ot&'atSv inhabiting thé most dense
parts-of tb(e ser^hifrom whMrèifeis.not easily .dr^vra. Ju ff ie s butllttle^re r^jjgj- a « e a te r distance than to
qross a gullyo&Spft a ridge hgfe§& '*■ aga'n, abruptly descends into the ‘ tj.
It® food consists gffsëeds amï'berries. of various kfndsy particulariy itóVari Diemen’s Land“ of a plant there
ealled Boobyaller.
I hVuRv^ir. never migraijety bat merely removes from aug locality; to another, as food may be WtKC or less
ahumbpt,::.
Its note is more lengthened than that pf thn,l>oiqmoii Jjfonze-wing, and i^d-GO a more Iqw and mournful
# to in , apd'is mpre often repeated towards t^& o s e fo f the.evenmg than atïajWother time. As an article
of fooef ij is by no meepgHo hsKdes^iked, bejnft hriraij|,d say, pyeWpreferahle to the Common Bronze-wing, to
which species it offers»? nearer alliance m colour *iai^ in fprm. of tbe.afrjjeiare of the
two birdg they will he founddo differ materially, few m g s of the pfesent species being shorter, and the tail
comprising a smaller number of feathers than thatofthe.other.
The sexes differ so little-in the^^fc^p>f,the^,pluniagetba^eeotiQ^^^feUe to distinguish them.
In Western AustraUaJt * 4 been observed to breed>spmetimes.ffin‘ t j | | i j | p | and a? ° f e | among the
grass, or in,a fork of the Xanthorrlma or grass-tree; the nest hiring formed, of- a few small sticks, and the
eggs as usual being white and twoiin, number, fifteen lines.long h^efeven-^nesjjroad.
Forehead light chestnut; lores black; crown of-tb$ head and nape dark grey.; a broad line of rich deep
chestnut .commences at the posterior p a& o f the eye ’and unites ah'thebcmBamon the throat a small gorgetshaped
mark of reddish- chestnut ;ïaBt^e-upper sntace™cb deep lustrous chtgtnut, becoming gradually
pfdèr on-the rump and upper tail-coverts; primai'ies dark’brown with pale edges,'and broadly margined on
the base of-their external webs with ferruginous; a few of the wing-coverts with an oblong spot of rich
lustrous coppery bronze on tfie outer web near the base, t b e | ^ J p | f which towards the .extremity of the
feather is sharply defined w d bounded fiy'ailiue <$i®hitish grey; Ot^erg' of the qoverts are similarly ornamented
with#, spot of «Olden-green, add. o t h e r s j® dM-piWuirif gm n , houndéd hy a ^ ^ c o n s p ic u o u s
line of s fe s central ta jh fe ^ e rn VrQWi-i the remainder grey gffjjgl base and tipped with brown, the
two colours separated by band of.jjÉrtl bpk^whiefchfpd is, contipngd; hut is much less apparent
upon the central feathers; sides of thameck a n p d f th e under surfoee gray, which becomes paler on the
abdomen and under tail-coverts; irides very dark b r o ^ ; r> e tJ hrigMpiDk-red.
The figures representlmöbwo sexes pfithé/natural size.