830 JOURNAL. BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1890. 



788.— THE BLUE ROCK PIGEON. 



Columba intermedia, Strickl. 



The Blue Rock Pigeon is a common permanent resident through- 

 out the Presidency, breeding from November to May (these are the 

 only months in which I have taken eggs), a favourite nesting place 

 is in a hole, or on a ledge in a well. 



The eggs, two in number, average 15 inches in length, by about 

 115 in breadth. They are too well known to need description. 



788.— THE ROCK DOVE. 



Columba livia, Bp. 



The Rock Dove is said to breed on the rockv hills on the borders 



of Sind. 



792.— THE ASHY TURTLE DOVE. 



Turtur pulchratus, Hodgs. 

 793.— THE RUFOUS TURTLE DOVE 



Turtur meena, Sj/kes. 



1 am indebted to Mr. Davidson for the following note : — ■ 



" Ornithologists seem to agree that these species are distinct, but 

 perhaps from not having typical specimens to compare others with, I 

 think it rather doubtful. The distinction relied on appears to be the 

 colour of the under tail coverts ; these are said to be white in 

 pulchratus and grey in meena. 



" Now in "West Khandeish I have shot right and left specimens, one 

 of which had white under tail coverts and the other grey, and I have 

 seen others that I could hardly say whether the coverts were pure 

 white or greyish- white. I did not think the birds bred anywhere in 

 this Presidency, though I remember natives telling me years ago 

 they did in the Satara ghats ; but a few days ago, I startled a bird 

 off a slight nest in a bamboo clump, or within a foot of it (for I did 

 not see it sitting on the nest) ; it contained one egg as large as that 

 of Crocopus chlorigaster, and a good deal bigger than that of Osmotre- 

 ron malabarica or Turtur sitraterfeis, the only other resident birds it 

 could belong to. As I had a rifle in my hand, I could not decida 

 whether its owner was the pulchratus or meena form." 



I would add to this that I have shot moulting birds, with the new 

 under tail coverts white, and the old ones grey. 



