DOVES. 

 Genus STREPTOPELIA (Bp.). 



The generic-name by which this the best known group of Doves 

 has been knoAvn until recently is Turtur ; but unfortunately, as Hartert 

 has shown {Hand-List of British Birds, p. 161), Selby's name, which was 

 instituted in 1835, was preoccupied by Boddaert in 1773 for a totally 

 different form of Pigeon, and the name Turtur must therefore be 

 suppressed. The next oldest name which can be applied to the group 

 is Streptopdia of Bonaparte, published in 1857. 



Sharpe in his Hand-List divides the genus Turtur as it originally 

 stood, into manj' genera of which Turtur, Streptopelia, Onopopdia, 

 and Spilopelea are all represented in India, but with the exception 

 of Onopopelia { = Oenopopelia), in which the sexes differ in plumage, 

 I see no valid reason for dividing the others and, therefore, retain them 

 under the title and genus Streptopelia. 



According to Blanford, in the genus Streptopelia, ( = Turtur) 

 there are seven species of Doves occurring within Indian limits, but 

 of these I reduce orienlalis and ferrago to the rank of subspecies of 

 Streptopelia turtur turtur, and tigrinus to be a subspecies of suratensis. 

 There are therefore still four species retained as such in the genus and, 

 on the other hand, besides the above three subspecies, I accept in addi- 

 tion arenicola and meena cis two more subspecies of S. turtur turtur. 



In general features the birds of the genus Streptopelia may be known 

 by their small size, comparatively small head and slender neck, weak 

 narrow bill, and by their comparatively long and narrow wing, of which 

 the 2nd and 3rd primary is the longest. The tail exceeds two- 

 thirds the length of, but is never longer than, the wing itself, and it is 

 considerably graduated. The feet and tarsi are formed for walking, 

 the toes bemg narrow, and the legs strong though short. 



The sexes are similar in colour and all the species are birds of 

 grey or brown plumage, and are decorated with a demi-coUar or a patch 

 on either side of the hind-neck. 



They are sociable but not gregarious birds, and some of the species 

 are resident whilst others are migratory. 



