m m m m m à
GEOPHAPS SMITHII,
Smith’s Partridge Bronze-wing.
Columba Smithii, J a rd . an d Selb. 111. O m ,, v p l . r iu p I^A Q ^ 'V
Man-ga, Aborigmepl-pf th e ilP ^o jir'g P en in su la .
Partridge Pigeon, R e sid en ts o f P o r t Essin g to n .
;®,stmt'tùre this"species isin every respect a true Geophaps, and the accompanying notes by Mr. Gilbert
show that it aSr.âî)^ely, assimilates in its habits and economy to the type of the genus as it well can. It
appears to be abundant omthe north coast of Australia, which is the only part of the country from which I
h ave y e t r ece i v e d it.
“ This bird,” says MfkGijlbCTf^^r o ^ a t Port Essington is termed the Partridge, from its habits much1resembling those of that
bird, exhibits a departure, ^ several .;#ÿIssésSènlMiél^^^^Mom the typical KgeQPSv Irritg,general habits, flight, voice, mode
o f incubation.'. differs considerably from a ll its congeners. I t is rather abundant in
all parts nf ihp. Pcnirisrila, is mostly seen in small families and always on the ground, unless when disturbed or alarmed ; it then
usually flies) into the nearest tree, generally choosing the largest part of a horizontal branch to perch upon. When it rises from the
ground its flight,îsïacçômpadiëd with a louder flapping o r burring, noise than I have observed in any pfher. Pigeon.
“ Its note is a coo, so rolled out that it grpatly resembles Quail, and which) like th a th ird , it scarcely ever utters
b u t" " s ^ ^ ^ ^ ^& g ro u n d , where i t f r^ ^ p ^ y » remains statinnalv^ itself to be almost tô>df upon before rising. Its favourite
haunts^fare meadows covered 'with.short grass near w ater, or the edges of newly burnt brush. 'I t would seem that this species
migrates occasionally from one p a rt\o f 'ithe vcountry to another j for duriiig f tm ^ ^ h ^ ^ i September and October not a single
individual was to be seen, wbüfe at the time of my arrival and for aMoMÆâftef they were so abundant that it was a common and
^ â ^ p p c b roe n ^ ? for persons to leave the settlement for an hour or two and return with several brace ; in the latter part of
J^ ^ ^ ^ B h e y again appeared, b ut were not so numerous as before ; and in the January an d f^Fru ary following they were rarely
Jto* be^me^with, and th en m o s fly ^ p a irs inhabiting t h ^ ^ g g r a s s e s clothing the moister parts.of the meadows.
« Thislbird incubates from August to QctSbgr, making no nest, but merely smoothing down a small p art o f a* clump of grass
and forming a slight hollo^y in^widch it deposits two eggsy^hich are greenish white, one inch and a quarter long by seven-eighths
of aninch dn breadth. The young birâ'.oni emerging;from the egg is clothed with ■dow^hîé the young of the Quail.”
Eyes surrounded with/a large naked space of a bright reddish ora|ÿ|çpl'pu|' ; head and all the upper
surface olive-brown:;. throat white, the tips of jbe last feathers g ^ ^ ^ ^ § » g a surrounding margin of that
coiotjfe on ’ the cheeks a large brownish greylspolynearly insulated by thejarge space of the eyes being
surrounded by a narrow b an d § \w ÿ t^ ih e ;fe é fè # d | which are tipped yd t^S ck ; ehes£ reddish brown ;
on the centre of the breast a few ofbhe feathers are clear grey, margined at the tip with black ; breast and
abdomen* purplish ôlive-bro^i; flanks ÿ È |e ; lower jgWjbf the ab(SmMi and vent buff; primaries and
secondaries dark brown, margitfèd with pale brown; the outer webs of the three or four last secondaries,
and one or two greater coverts for two-thirds of their length from the-baso rich purple with greenish wavy
reflexions; two centre tail-feathers olive-brown, the remainder deep slate-grey at base and black at the
extremity ; undeç tail-coverts dark brown margined with lig h ^ d ^ a ; irides of three colours, first a narrow
ring Qf red next the pupil, then a broader ring of pure white, and lastly a narrow one of grey ; bill blackish
grey ; legs and feet bluish grey ; back of the tarsi and inner side of the feet yellowish grey.
The figures are those of a male and female n f the natural size.