. The birds of South Africa. Birds. COLUMBID^ HAPLOPELIA 183 dark earthy-brown ; lateral tail-feathers with the basal two thirds black, the apical third ashy ; below the chin and cheeks are greyish- white, the breast is pink and slightly metallic, changing to cinnamon on the lower breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts ; under wing- coverts, axillaries and sides of the body dark-brown. Iris, inner circle dusky, outer pink, eyelids and bare skin round the eye pink ; bill black ; legs and feet dark-pink. Length 12 ; wing 6-0 ; tail 4-20 ; culmen -50 ; tarsus 1'05. The female is shghtly duller in
. The birds of South Africa. Birds. COLUMBID^ HAPLOPELIA 183 dark earthy-brown ; lateral tail-feathers with the basal two thirds black, the apical third ashy ; below the chin and cheeks are greyish- white, the breast is pink and slightly metallic, changing to cinnamon on the lower breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts ; under wing- coverts, axillaries and sides of the body dark-brown. Iris, inner circle dusky, outer pink, eyelids and bare skin round the eye pink ; bill black ; legs and feet dark-pink. Length 12 ; wing 6-0 ; tail 4-20 ; culmen -50 ; tarsus 1'05. The female is shghtly duller in colour and smaller in size. A young bird has the front of the face dirty-white ; there is no metallic sheen, and the general colour above and below is brown with narrow rufous bars and tips to most of the Fig. 58. —Head of Haplopelia larvata. x \h Distribution.—The Lemon Dove was first discovered by Levail- lant in the Outeniqua forests of what is now the division of Knysna; it is entirely confined to the densely wooded districts of the Colony, Natal and the Transvaal; north of the Zambesi it is replaced by three closely allied subspecies from Nyasaland, Shoa and West Africa respectively. The following are recorded localities ; Cape Colony—Cape division, January, June, July and November (Victorin and S. A. Mus.), Knysna, January, April, May and July (Andersson and Victorin), George (Atmore), King William's Town (Trevelyan), Port St. Johns, rare (Shortridge); Natal—Durban, April (Shelley), Eshowe in Zululand (Woodward); Transvaal—Macamac in Lyden- burg, June, July (Barratt and Ayres). Habits.—The Lemon Dove is confined to the forest and thick bush, and is seldom or ever found outside. It is generally seen on the ground seeking its food, which consists chiefly of forest berries ; it is shy and by no means easy to see or procure, but can often be heard rusthng among the fallen leaves, and thus causing disappoint- ment to the sportsman who is lying in wait f
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