turturin^. 477 



The rufous Turtle-dove. 



Descr. — General colour vinaceous brown, ashy on the forehead 

 and crown, and whitish towards the base of the bill, and more 

 or less mixed with ashy and dusky above ; rump and upper tail- 

 coverts deep grey ; wing-coverts and scapulars dusky, broadly 

 margined with rufous ; secondary coverts usually ashy ; winoflet 

 and primaries, with their coverts, dusky, the latter edged with 

 whitish; tail dusky ash, the outer feathers successively more broadly 

 tipped with deep grey, paling on the outermost feather ; beneath, 

 the chin and throat whitish ; the rest of the plumage pale vina- 

 ceous brown, deepest on the breast, aud becoming albescent on the 

 lower abdomen ; vent and lower tail-coverts light grey ; the 

 neck-patch black, with grey tips, narrower than in the preceding 

 species. 



Bill blackish, with a tinge of lake-red ; irides orange ; legs dull 

 purple. Length 11^ to 12^ inches ; wing 7 ; tail 4J. 



This species differs from the last by its smaller size, and the 

 general rufous tone of coloring, also by the grey tip to the tail. 

 It is found throughout a considerable part of India, in the cold 

 weather only, being a regular winter visitant, retiring to the hills 

 to breed. It is more rare in the South of India than in Central and 

 Northern India, and I did not observe it in the forests of IMalabar, 

 though observed by Elliot in Dliarwar, and by Sykes in the 

 Northern part of the Ghats ; but I have procured it in bamboo 

 jungles on the Eastern Ghats, in Goomsoor, in Central India, and 

 also in Eastern Bengal, the Khasia Hills, and Cachar. Mr. Blyth 

 states that numbers of newly caught birds may frequently be seen 

 in the bird-shops of Calcutta, and it occurs, though rarely, in 

 Ceylon. It appears more social than most of the other Turtle- 

 doves, and, indeed, is frequently seen in large flocks. As it does 

 not breed in the plains, I am inclined to think that the species 

 noticed by Hutton as breeding at INIussooree, must be this bird 

 rather than the Northern one, T. rupicolus^ which, according 

 to all analogy, ought to breed far North. Whichever it be, 

 Hutton states that it is " a mere summer visitor at Mussooree, 

 where it arrives early in April, when every wood resounds with 

 its deep-toned cooing, being not found lower that G,000 feet, 



