COLUMB^. 161 



Figures : Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica^ Aves, pi. 60 b 

 (as Columba gelastis) . 



The Eastern Turtle-Dove has been observed on Eturop, one of the 

 Kurile Islands (Blakiston and Pryer, Trans. As. Soc. Japan, 1882, 

 p. 129), and is a summer visitor to Yezzo (Whitely, Ibis, 1867, 

 p. 204) . There is an example in the Swinhoe collection from Hako- 

 dadi (Swinhoe, Ibis, 1874, p. 162), whence it was procured by the 

 Perry Expedition twenty years previously (Cassin, Exp. Am. Squad. 

 China Seas and Japan, ii. p. 222). There are seven examples in 

 the Pryer collection from Yokohama. Captain Rodgers obtained it 

 on the Loo-Choo Islands (Cassin, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1862, 

 p. 320) ; and there is an example in the Pryer collection from the 

 central group of those islands (Seebohm, Ibis, 1887, p. 179). 



Examples from the southern group of the Loo-Choo Islands have 

 been described as distinct under the name of Turtur stimpsoni 

 (Stejneger, Proc. United States Nat. Mus. 1887, p. 399). They are 

 said to be deeper in colour than those from Japan. This is probably 

 only individual variation, as the example in the Pryer collection from 

 the central group of the Loo-Choo Islands is not so deep in colour as 

 many of those from Japan, and agrees in every respect with an 

 example from Hakodadi. 



The Eastern Turtle-Dove is the eastern representative of our 

 Common Turtle-Dove [Turiur auritus) , and is as widely distributed in 

 the temperate parts of the Eastern Palaearctic Region as its British 

 ally is in the temperate parts of the Western Palsearctic Region. 



In the Eastern species the under tail-coverts and the pale terminal 

 band across the tail and the tips of the feathers on the sides of the 

 neck are lavender-grey, instead of white or nearly so. The southern 

 range of this species extends through China, Cochin China, and 

 Burma, into India and Ceylon; but in Nepal, Turkestan, and South- 

 west Siberia the under tail-coverts and the bar across the tail are 

 frequently almost as pale as in the Western form (which also reaches 

 Turkestan), though the lavender-grey tips of the feathers on the sides 

 of the neck are retained. This local race may be called Turtur 

 orient alts f err ago. 



It has been stated that the Japanese birds are larger than those 

 from China and India, and ought therefore to be regarded as distinct 

 under the name of Turtur gelastes of Temminck ; but this general- 

 ization has been arrived at from the measurement of too small a 

 series. The length of wing from carpal joint varies in twelve 

 Japanese examples from 7*8 to 7'2 inches, and in twenty-two Indian 

 and Chinese examples from 7"9 to 7'1 inches. 



M 



