Mr. E. Blyth on the Columbinse. 509 



tint (whence the name oenas) prevails on the fore-neck and breast 

 of both species ; but in the Indian it appears also on the crown, 

 which in the other is pure dark ashy. The wings are simi- 

 larly marked, except that in our presumed new species there is 

 less black upon the winglet, and the great alar feathers (including 

 the tertiaries) are much less dark in colour. Length of closed 

 wing 8J inches, and of tail 4< inches only. 



Among some descriptions of birds sent for identification about 

 ten years ago, by the late Major Boys, of the Bengal Cavalry, we 

 find one of this Indian ' Stock Dove.' He gives the length of a 

 fresh-killed male as II J in., extent of wings 24 in., and weight 

 7 oz. 4 dr. Mr. Selby states that P. oenas " measures about 

 14 inches, and in extent of wing nearly 26 in.'' " The beak," 

 remarks Dr. D. Scott of Han si, who has favoured us with the 

 specimen here described, "is of a yellowish colour, and as if 

 translucent; but this appearance is only visible in the fresh 

 bird, as it had disappeared when the specimen became dry*. 

 The legs also had a distinctly yellowish tinge, instead of the red 

 of the common Blue Pigeon ; but this also soon disappeared." 

 Major Boys describes the bill and cere as grey, the skin round 

 the eye yellow, iris buff, and legs flesh- pink ; those of our com- 

 mon Blue Pigeon being of a deep pinkish-red. 



Of the habits of the race. Major Boys merely remarks, that 

 "These birds fly in flocks, and affect trees'' ! When at Cawn- 

 pore, last year in May, I observed every evening a large flock of 

 Blue Pigeons to collect and roost upon some high trees within 

 cantonments, and therefore not to be fired at ; and having never 

 observed the common Blue Pigeon of this country to roost upon 

 trees, I was led to suspect that the birds in question were of a 

 race of ^ Stock Doves' probably diff'erent in species from the 

 European — a conjecture which seemed to be verified by the dis- 

 covery of the bird now under consideration ; but I am assured, 

 upon good authority, that the Columba interjnedia, Strickland, 

 does commonly roost upon trees, in which habit it would seem 

 to differ remarkably from its very near affine the C. livia of 

 Europe and N. Africa. 



Of the Indian ^ Stock Pigeon,' Dr. Scott remarks, — " Though 

 I have been at Hansi nearly five years, I have never seen these 

 Pigeons before ; but others have seen them, and have assured 

 me of their occurrence as a distinct race, different from our 

 common Blue Pigeon which breeds in wells. Early in March 

 there were hundreds of them about here, but they soon disap- 

 peared. They feed in the fields morning and evening, and roost 

 in the day (and I suppose the night also) in trees, generally in 



* In the dry specimen, the bill is black, with yellow dertrum, as in the 

 Prince of Canino's P. Eversmanni. 



