of the District of Montreal. 351 



robust, usually red ; tarsi reticulated ; toes free, 3 before and 1 

 behind; tail of 12 to U feathers ; 2nd primary usually longest. 



Suh genus Columba. 



Sub gen. char. Legs and ifeet short and robust ; tail square 

 or cuneiform ; wings long and acute. 



Subdivision II, loitk the tail long and cuneiform. 



C. migratoria. Passenger Pigeon. 

 Ectopistes migratoria. Baird! 



v.s.p. Bill black ; nasal protuberance whitish ; irides red ; 

 legs and feet red ; eggs white, two in number, one of them, ac- 

 cording to Wilson, usually abortive. 



Dorsal aspect. Head, neck, interscapular region, rump, scapu- 

 lars, great and small wing coverts slate blue ; the bluish tint pre- 

 vailing on the head and rump ; on the neck with golden green and 

 purplish reflections ; scapulars and great wing coverts with a few 

 long black streaks on the inner vanes of the inner row of scapu- 

 lars, and on the outer vanes of the outer row of scapulars and the 

 coverts ; primaries and secondaries dusky brown, the 2nd, 3rd, 

 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th primaries margined with white on their 

 outer vanes ; tail coverts bluish slate colour ; tail cuneiform, of 

 12 feathers ; the two central feathers brownish black ; the two 

 lateral feathers nearly white, the others mostly pale slate colour, 

 with a predominance of white on their inner vanes ; near the in- 

 sertions of all, except the central feathers, on the inner vanes, an 

 oval black spot succeeded by rufous more internally. 



Ventral aspect. Cheeks and sides of neck slate blue ; chin 

 pale; throat and breast rufous, ('* vinaceous " — Nuttall,) with a 

 golden green iridescence ; belly and vent paler rufous ; wing 

 coverts and flanks white tino^ed with slate blue ; tail coverts white; 

 inner surface of wings slate blue. 



2nd primary longest; 1st next; the others graduated. Length 

 including the tail IGj inches; alar expanse about 22 inches; 

 length of the tail 7J inches. The female wants the rufous breast, 

 or at most has but a tinge of it in that situation. The young 

 bird, when it arri/es in this district, or is bred here, has a deep 

 slate coloured dorsal and ventral aspect, interspersed with soiled 

 white spots. The down, of a dirty yellow colour, may also often 

 be seen above the plumage. 



