BIRDS OF FORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 385 



[Melopelia] leucoptera Bonaparte, Consp. Av., ii, 1857, 81, part (Mexico).— 



Gray, Hand-list, ii, 1870, 241, no. 9361, part.— Sclater and Salvin, Norn. 



Av. Neotr., 1873, 133, part.— Sharpe, Hand-list, i, 1899, 77, part. 

 M[elopeleia] leucoptera Reichenbach, Vollst. Naturg., Columbariae, i, 1861, 22, 



part (Mexico). 

 Melopeleia leucoptera Coues, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1866, 93 (Fort Whipple, 



Arizona); Check List, 1873, no. 373, part. 

 [Melopeleia] leucoptera Coues, Key N. Am. Birds, 1872, 226, part. 

 Melopelia asiatica trudeaui (not Columha trudeauii Audubon) Mearns, Auk, 



xxviii, Oct., 1911, 490, in text, part. — American Ornithologists' Union 



Committee, Auk, xxv, July, 1908, 368. 

 Melopelia asiatica (not Columha asiatica Linnaeus) American Ornithologists' 



Union, Check List, 3d ed., 1910, 150, part.— Rathbun (S. F.), Auk, xxviii, 



1911, 493 (Puyallup, 25 miles s. e. of Seattle, Washington, 1 spec, Nov. 11, 



1907). 

 Melopelia asiatica mearnsi Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., xxviii. May 27, 1915, 



107 (five miles north of Nogales, Arizona; coll. U. S. Nat. Mus.). 



Genus STREPTOPELIA Bonaparte. 



Streptopelia Bonaparte, Congp. Gen. Av., ii, 1857, 63. (Type, Columha risoria 

 Linnaeus.) 



Medium-sized or rather small arboreal or semiterrestrial Pigeons 

 (length about 270-295 mm.), with small bill (exposed culmen shorter 

 than lateral toes), tarsus shorter than middle toe without claw (the 

 upper portion entirely bare), tail more than two-thirds as long as 

 wing, slightly rounded, bicolored, and very plain coloration, relieved 

 by a conspicuous nuchal band of black margined above by white. 



Bill relatively small, the exposed culmen shorter than lateral toes 

 (about as long as distance from its base to middle of eye), strongly 

 constricted medially and basally (the unguis distinctly arched basally 

 and gonydeal angle prominent), the horny terminal portion occupying 

 about one-third its total length; antia of frontal feathering decidedly 

 posterior to malar antia (the latter slightly anterior to middle of 

 nasal operculum), the mental antia about midway between frontal 

 antia and tip of bill; nasal operculum rather small, moderately 

 tumid. Wing rather large, pointed, the longest primaries exceeding 

 distal secondaries by a little more than one-third the length of 

 wing; second and third primaries (from outside) longest, the first 

 (outermost) a Mttle longer than fourth, and with inner web slightly 

 incised sub apic ally. Tail more than two-thirds as long as wing, 

 slightly rounded (its graduation less than length of exposed 

 culmen), more than its basal half overlaid by the coverts; rectrices 

 twelve, not tapering, their tips broadly rounded. Tarsus relatively 

 rather short (about one and a half times as long as exposed culmen), 

 moderately stout, the upper portion, including tibio-tarsal joint 

 naked, the acrotarsium with a single row of large, rather indistinct, 



1957°— Bull. 50, pt 7—16 25 



