291 



COLUMBA TURTUR. TURTLE DOVE. 



TURTLE. RING-NECKED TURTLE. 



Fig. 54. 



Columba Turtur. Linn. Syst. Nat. I. 284. 



Columba Turtur. Lath. Ind. Orn. II. 605. 



Turtle Dove. Mont. Orn. Diet. 



Colombe Tourterelle. Columba Turtur. Temm. Man. d'Orn. II. 448. 



Turtle Dove. Columba Turtur. Selb. Illustr. I. 413. 



Columba Turtur. Turtle Dove. Jen. Brit. Vert. An. 162. 



Male with the head light hluish-grey^ the hack greyish-brown^ 

 the scapulars and small wing-coterts black imth broad light red 

 margins^ the breast pale greyish-purple^ the neck with two large 

 black spots barred with white^ the quills and tail greyish-brown^ 

 the latter tipped with white. Female similar^ but with the tints 

 duller. 



The Turtle Dove is not only the smallest of our British species, 

 but also the most elegantly formed, and that whose plumage 

 exhibits the greatest variety of colours. Compared with the 

 rest, it seems a delicate and feeble bird, its body being more 

 slender than theirs, its bill thinner, its wings and tail propor- 

 tionally longer. Unlike them too it is unable to bear the 

 severity of our winters, and even during the short period of its 

 residence with us remains in the southern parts of England, 



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