30 COLUMBID^. 



usual number : they are white, of an oval shape, and average 

 1*5 in length by 1"1 in breadth. Incubation lasts sixteen 

 days, the male taking turns with the female. An account 

 of the breeding of the Passenger Pigeon in the Zoological 

 Gardens will be found in the Proceedings of the Society 

 for 1833, p. 10, and other similar instances are on record. 



In the adult male the beak is black; head, back of the 

 neck, wing-coverts, back, and upper tail-coverts bluish-grey ; 

 sides of the neck reddish-chestnut, richly glossed with 

 metallic gold and violet ; scapulars, tertials, and middle of 

 back olive-brown ; primaries lead-grey with lighter coloured 

 outer margins, the shafts black ; the tail, of twelve feathers, 

 long, cuneiform ; the four middle tail-feathers the longest, 

 lanceolate and pointed ; the outer four on each side gradu- 

 ated ; the middle pair dark brown ; the rest pearl-grey 

 on the outer web, white internally, each with a patch of 

 reddish-brown at the base of the inner web, followed by 

 another of black ; chin bluish-grey ; throat and breast pur- 

 plish-chestnut, becoming violet on the belly and flanks ; vent 

 and under tail-coverts white ; legs and feet red. Total 

 length seventeen inches ; wing eight inches and a half. 



The female is smaller, and much duller in colour ; beneath, 

 pale ash instead of chestnut, except a tinge on the neck. 



Young birds have most of the feathers of the head and 

 body margined with dirty white. 



