132 INDIAN PIGEONS AND DOVES 



perhaps as the rarest of stragglers into the extreme north-east, as with the 

 two Ladak birds, and possibly also into Kashmir. 



Wlien, however, we examine the written records of its appearance in 

 India the case is very different, and at first siglit it \vould appear to be over- 

 whelmingly conclusive that C. livia livia is an exceedingly common bird in 

 many parts of the north-west of India and the adjoining countries. First, 

 we have Hume who records that Dr. Day shot a typical specimen of livia in 

 the Rooree district, and that he liimself obtained one in the Gaj, whilst 

 Dr. Day reported the bird as common at Durgalo, all these being places in 

 Sind. Rattray found both the European and Indian Blue Rocks very 

 common during the winter in Thull, but apparently did not collect any 

 specimens or examine them very closely. In Cliitral, Perreau identified a 

 great number of skins, and states that from December to March he obtained 

 only intermedia, whereas in March he only procured specimens of livia ; and 

 WJiitehead, ^\Titing of the Kurram Valley, records the former as only 

 occurring in amongst flocks of the latter and never collecting in separate 

 flocks. Inglis obtained a single specimen in Behar as did Cripps in Furredpore. 

 Ward, whilst recording the European Rock-Pigeon as occurring in Kashmir, 

 says tliat tlie Indian bird is the common form, but gives no details. 



Now, in considering this evidence it has always to be borne in mind 

 that the wild and domestic pigeon interbreed ^^•ith the greatest freedom, and 

 also that domesticated birds wander away with flocks of wild ones. All over 

 India and the surrounding countries the natives keep domestic pigeons, and 

 there is therefore hardly a place where the possible taint of a cross with a 

 tame bird could be ruled out of consideration. 



The evidence which it is hardest to get over is undoubtedly that of 

 Perreau, who obtained Indian birds in the cold weather and then the European 

 bird in March — a reversion of what we should have expected, yet pro\dng 

 that the typical English bird, or one very much like it, does come into, or 

 close to, India in large flocks at certain times of the year. But it may well 

 be that Perreau whilst correctly identifying the March Pigeon as a bird quite 

 different to our Indian Blue Rock, did not see that it differed somewhat from 

 the European bird also, and the bird he saw was possibly the intermediate 

 form, schimperi, vel neglecta, vel palestinae. 



The conclusions I have arrived at are that our Indian Blue Rock-Pigeon, 

 C. livia intermedia, is found in India and extends into Afghanistan, BaluchLstan, 

 Persia, Arabia, and through Egypt and northern Africa as far west as Tunis, 

 whilst the European Blue Rock-Pigeon is found throughout Europe, Asia 

 Minor, north-'o'est and Central Asia, and possibly northern Persia. 



Owing, however, to their enormous power of flight, their constant 

 interbreeding vnth domestic Pigeons, and the tendency of this family, domestic 

 or wild, to throw back, aberrant birds are constantly occurring : so that even 

 where livia is the dominant bird, we everywhere find, except in the extreme 

 west of its habitat, specimens which are nearer intermedia, and vice versa 

 specimens which are nearer livia in the normal habitat of intermedia. 



This will be the case whetlier we are content to recognize only the two 

 self-evident subspecies, livia and intermedia, as dominant respectively over the 

 greater part of their eastern and western ranges, or whether we again divide 

 the intermediate birds in the intervening range into one or more subspecies. 



Before leaving the subject, however, it should be noted that in his Hand- 

 List Sharpe recognizes the follo\%ing species, livia, intermedia, schitnperi, 

 and neglecta. The last species he gives as confined to Persia and north-west 

 India, but he also gives south Persia and central Asia as part of the normal 



