480 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



t 



turtur, var. Griffiths, An. Kingd., with figure — T. ceylonensis, 

 B.mciiEiiB. — Chitroka fachta, H. — Chiila, H, in the Noith-wes- 

 tern Provinces. — Chaval gliugltu, or Telia gliiujliu, Bang. — Kangs- 

 kiri, H., at Bhagulpore — Poda hella f/uiva, Tel. — Puli-pora, Tarn. 

 i. e. Spotted or Tiger-pigeon — Bode^ of Gonds — Ku-er-plio, Lepch.— 

 Fiap-chu, Bhot. 



The Spotted Dove. 



Descr. — Head pale vinaceous, greyish on the forehead; upper 

 parts generally dusky, each feather with two pale rufous isabelline 

 terminal spots, enlarging and spreading up each side of the feather 

 upon the wing-coverts, the blackish contracting to a central streak, 

 having broad pale vinaceous lateral borders; edge of the wing, with 

 some of the nearest coverts, light grey ; tail with the central 

 feathers brown ; the outermost ones black at the base, white for 

 the terminal half, and the others intermediate in their coloring ; 

 lower parts pale vinaceous, more or less albescent on the throat, 

 and passing to white on the vent and lower tail-coverts. 



Bill dull leaden-black; irides dark hazel, surrounded by a 

 reddish sclerotic ; legs dark purplish red. Length about 12 inches ; 

 extent 16^ ; wing 5f ; tail 5^. The female is a trifle less. The 

 tail is graduated for ] ^ inch, and the feathers slightly attenuated 

 towards the tip. 



This species has been generally confounded with T. tigrina of 

 the Burmese countries, but differs in some slight points, as was 

 first recognized by Bonaparte and Blyth. It is of somewhat 

 smaller dimensions, duller in its tints, and the white spots forming 

 the nuchal patch, are rounded, and not angular or square as in the 

 Malayan race; nor are the wing-coverts so white. 



The speckled Dove of India is diffused throughout all India, 

 from Ceylon to the Himalayas, to a height of nearly 7,000 feet ; 

 and equally so in the North-eastern Provinces of Assam and 

 Sylhet. As a rule, it is most abundant in forest districts, or well- 

 wooded countries, and is consequently rare in the bare Carnatic 

 table-land, the Deccan, and the North-western Provinces generally; 

 and most abundant on the Malabar Coast up to Surat, Lower 

 Bengal and the foot of the Himalayas, with the lower ranges ; and 



