268 



COLUMBA LIVIA. THE WHITE-BACKED, 

 OR ROCK DOVE. 



WILD PIGEON. ROCK PIGEON. WILD DOVE. ROCK DOVE. DOO. 

 CALMAN FIADHAICH. 





Fig. 53. 



Colombe Biset. Columba Livia. Temm. Man. d'Orn. 11. 447. 

 Rock Dove. Columba Livia. Selb. lUustr. I. 410. 

 Columba Livia. Rock Dove. Jen. Brit. Vert. An. 162. 



Plumage of the male light greyish-hlue ; the neck splendent 

 with green and purplish-red ; the middle of the back and the 

 lower wing-coverts ichite ; two black bands on the icing^ one on 

 the six inner secondary quills^ the other on the secondary coverts ; 

 bill brownish-black. Female similar^ the green and purple of 

 the neck less extended. 



Male. — The Rock Dove, wliicli is the original of our domes- 

 tic pigeons, is a very beautiful bird, although its style of colour- 

 ing is less gaudy than that of many exotic species. It is of a 

 compact form, the body being rather full, the neck rather short, 

 the head small, the feet short and strong, the wings rather long, 

 the tail of moderate length. 



The bill is short, slender, and straight ; the tumid basal 

 membrane scurfy, the dorsal outline of the upper mandible 

 straight for half its length, then arched and declinate, the edges 

 soft at the base, the tip compressed, ^Yith the edges inflected ; 

 the lower mandible weak at the base, its sides nearly erect, the 



