(si) GEOPELIA striata (Linn.). 



THE BARRED GROUND-DOVE. 



(Plate 26.) 



Turtur sinensis siriatus Briss., Orn., I p. 107 (1760). 



Turtur indicus striatus Briss., Orn., I p. 109 (1760). 



Columba striata Linn., Syst. Nat., I p. 282 (1766) ; Lath., I. Orn., II p. 608. 



Columba sinica Linn., Syst. Nat., I p. 284. 



Columba malaccensis Gm., Syst. Nat., II p. 788 (1788) ; Lath., I. Orn., II 

 p. 612. 



Oolumba bantamensis Sparm., Mus. CarL (1788). 



Columba lunulata Bonn. Enc. Meth., p. 251 (1790). 



Geopelia striata Gray, List Gen. B., p. 58 (1840) ; Blyth, Cat. B.M.A.S.B., 

 p. 235 ; Jerdon, B.I., III p. 486 ; Hume, Str. Feath.. Ill p. 323 ; Hume 

 and Dav., ib., VI p. 423 ; Hume, ib., VIII p. 110 ; id., Cat. no. 797, 

 ter ; Gates, B. Brit. Burma, II p. 298 ; Salvadori, Cat. B.M., XXI p. 458 ; 

 Blanf., Avi. Brit. I., IV p. 52 ; Sharpe, Hand-List, I p. 80 ; Gates, Cat. 

 Eggs B.M., I p. 101 ; Harington, B. Burma, p. 118. Finn, J.B.N.H.S., 

 XIV p. 576 ; H. R. Baker, ib., XVII p. 760. 



Vernacular Names. Merbok, Ketitir, Malayan. 



Description. — Adult mule. Fore-head and crown as far back as the 

 Centre of the eye ashy-grey ; cheeks, chin, and throat the same but paler ; 

 crown from the centre of the eye and nape light rusty-brown ; hind-neck, 

 sides of neck, and throat and sides of breast barred blackish-brown and white, 

 the pale bars on the upper-neck generally more or less tinged with fulvous ; 

 whole upper-plumage from neck to tail earthy-brown, each feather edged 

 with a black bar ; tail a darker brown on the central feathers which are 

 obsoletely barred darker, the adjoining pair of feathers blackish-brown and 

 the remaining four pairs black on the basal half and white on the terminal 

 half, the -n'hite also extending some way down the edge of the outer web. 

 Breast a beautiful vinous-pink, gradually changing to pale fulvous-wliite on 

 the abdomen and to pure white on the under tail-coverts ; iianks barred 

 brown or black, and vinous- or fulvous-white. Wing-coverts like the back, 

 but with a silvery tinge ; quills a darker brown, except the innermost tertiaries 

 which are like the back, and with the basal half of the inner webs chestnut 

 under wing-coverts barred chestnut and black. 



Measurements. Total length 8.25 to 9 in. ( = 209.4 to 228.6 mm.) 

 wing 3.75 in. ( = 95.2 mm.) to 4 in. ( = 101.6 mm.), with an average of 

 3.90 in. ( = 99.0 mm.) ; tail 4 in. ( = 101.6 mm.) to 4.6 in. ( = 116.8 mm) 

 bill at front about .48 in. ( = 12.2 mm.), and from gape about .7 in. 

 ( = 17.7 mm.) ; tarsus about .7 in. ( = 17.7 mm.). 



