484 



ROCK-DOVE. 



local, and in the rest of Europe it is decidedly uncommon, except 

 in mountainous regions, such as the Pyrenees and the various ranges 

 of Spain and Italy ; while even there, a considerable admixture of 

 semi-domesticated birds is apparent. Individuals from the Canaries 

 and the coasts and rocky islands in the west of the Mediterranean 

 have generally a distinct band of white on the croup, but, pro- 

 ceeding eastward, this has a tendency to become less pure and 

 narrower than in northern examples, until in specimens from the 

 Jordan valley that part is grey. Birds identical with our own have, 

 however, been obtained in Baluchistan, Afghanistan, Northern India 

 and Kashmir, but about Gilgit and eastward the representative is 

 C. riipestris. " There seems," says Darwin, " to be some relation 

 between the croup being blue or white, and the temperature of the 

 country inhabited by both wild and dovecot pigeons : for nearly all 

 the do\ecot pigeons in the northern parts of Europe have a white 

 croup like that of the wild European rock-pigeon ; and nearly all 

 the dovecot pigeons of India have a blue croup like that of the 

 wild C. intermedia of India."' 



In the British Islands the favourite resorts of the Rock-Dove are 

 deep caverns, on the ledges of which a slight nest is constructed, 

 sometimes as early as :\Iarch : while young and even unhatched 

 eggs have been found in September, so that at least two broods must 

 be reared in the year. The 2 white eggs measure 1-5 by 1-15 in. 

 Like other members of the family, this species is partial to grain, 

 but it makes amends by eating the roots of the couch-grass 

 {Triticum repens), and the seeds of various troublesome weeds, as 

 well as considerable quantities of snails. It drinks frequently, and 

 both wild and tame Pigeons have been seen to settle on the water 

 like Gulls and drink whilst floating down stream. It has a marked 

 objection to alighting on trees— a peculiarity which is still shared by 

 its domesticated relatives. 



In size and general hue the Rock-Dove much resembles the 

 Stock-Dove, but the green on the neck is prolonged to the throat ; 

 the mantle is of a paler grey ; two very distinct black bars cross 

 the wing-coverts and the secondaries : the croup is white, and the 

 black bar near the tip of the tail-feathers is much narrower than in 

 the Stock-Dove ; the upper breast is dark grey with hardly any tinge 



of vinous; and the axillaries and under wing-coverts are luhite a 



very conspicuous distinction in flight. As usual, females are slightly 

 smaller and duller than males ; while in the young the metallic tints 

 are wanting. 



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