COLUMBINiE, 469 



Gen. COLUMBA, Lin. (a? restricted.) 

 Char. — Feet fitted for walking on the ground, the tarsus being 



somewhat lengthened ; nestle in holes of rocks, buildings, or wells; 



capable of domestication. 



This genus comprises the Eock and House-pigeons, and various 



affined races of the Old World. They rarely perch on trees, and 



some never, roosting and nestling in caverns, hollows of rocks, 



sea-clifFsj recesses of buildings, &c. 



788. Columba intermedia, Strickland. 



Col. livia, var, Blyth, Cat. 1417 — C. ronas, apud Sykes, 

 Cat. 144— Jerdon, Cat. 290 — Figured in Beng. Sport. Rev. 1845, 

 pi. IV. — C. livia, apud Adams, Birds of India, 208 — Kabutar, 

 H. — Gudi poura% Tel., i. e. Pagoda-pigeon — Kovilpora, Tam. 

 Parwi, Mahr. 



The Blue Kock-pigeon. 



Descr. — Colour slaty-grey, darker on the head, throat, and 

 breast, also on the upper and lower tail-coverts and tail, which last, 

 has a blackish terminal band ; nuchal feathers divergent at their 

 tip, and brightly glossed with changeable green and amethystine ; 

 two black bars on the wing, formed by the greater coverts and 

 the secondaries being tipped with black, on the outer web only ; 

 and the outermost tail-feather, with its external web, gradually 

 more albescent to the base. 



Bill blackish, with a white mealiness at the base above ; irides 

 dull orange; legs dull reddish-pink. Length 12 to 13 inches; 

 extent 23 ; wing 8| to 9 ; tail 5 ; bill |, shorter than in P. (sni- 

 capilla. 



This common Blue Pigeon differs from C. livia of Europe only 

 in having an ash-colored, instead of a pure white rump. This, 

 however, appears to be constant, and as Blyth remarks, is also 

 always observable in domesticated varieties in this country, when 

 these assume the normal coloring. 



The Blue Pigeon of India is one of the most common and abun- 

 dant birds throughout the country, congregating in large flocks, 

 and breeding wherever they can find suitable spots. TJiey are 



