AX AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK. 17 



F. 17. COLUMBTDAE (2), WOOD-PIGEONS, Passenger- 

 Pigeon, Rock-Dove, 119 sp.— 41(40) A., 25(17)0., 

 18(10)P., 19(17)E., 4(0)Nc., 24(20)N1. 

 F. 18. PERISTERIDAE (15), GROUND-PIGEONS, Turtle- 

 Doves, 198 sp.— 61(55) A., 21(8)0., 10(1)P., 

 32(30)E., 10(0)Nc., 86(76)N1. 

 1 t2ATndian Turtle-Dove, Turtur ferrago, Siberia to Cey- 

 6 Ion, introduced A. Mig. c. gardens, cities 13 



Back brown; head gray; broad patch side and back of 

 neck black spotted white; breast cinnamon; centre tail 

 feathers blackish, rest tipped white: f., sim. Seeds. 

 3 13 Ground Dove (Peaceful), Doo-doo, Geopelia placida, A. 



5 (interior). Stat. r. grassy 8.7 

 Upper n shy-brown, barred black; chest, hind-neck gray 



with black lines: abdomen fawn: side tail feathers 

 tipped white: f., sim. Small seeds. "Doo-doo." 

 14*I)iauiond Dove (Little, Turtle), G. cuneata, A. (in- 

 terior). Stat. r. grass 8.2 

 Upper light-brown; crown gray; under light-gray; white 

 spots on wing: side tnil tipped white; eye red; f., 

 neck, chest pale brown. Seeds. 



1 15 Little Green Pigeon, Ghalcophaps chrysochJora, Mol., 



6 N. Heb., N. Cal., Lord Howe Is., A. exc. S.A., W.A. 

 Melancholy bellowing note. v.r. dense scrubs 9.5 



Rich brown: head, short tail darker: wings much green; 

 shoulder white; f., less brilliant. Fallen berries. 



2 16*Bronzewing Pigeon (Scrub), Phops chalcoptera. A., T. 



2 Nom. c. open, forest l^.b 



Upper brown marked lighter; cap whitish; line below eye, 

 throat white; breast, back of head vinous; bronze 

 wing; legs red; f., head gray. Seeds, fruits. 



the scrubby western end of Kangaroo Island, where foxes are 

 unknown, will prove a suitable sanctuary for them. These 

 birds, which rank among Nature's wonders, are almost confined 

 to the Australian region. One is found in Borneo and the Philip- 

 pines, while a second is confined to the distant Nicobar Islands. 

 Twenty-six live in Australia and its neighboring islands. One 

 of these has spread across Wallace's line to the small Kangean 

 Island, near Java. The Stubble Quail, a member of the Pheasant 

 family, is nearly identical with the Britisii Quail. Mathews and 

 Campbell make the King Quail a sub-species of the Chinese Quail. 



Quail are favorite sporting birds, but when one considers 

 that they are w^orth about 9d. each as table or game birds, and that 

 sportsmen found at Birregurra, that the crops of Quail were 

 full of crickets, and at Kerang the Quail contained numbers of a 

 species of weevil, it is doubtful if it is wise policy to shoot this 

 insect-eating bird. Although it may be worth a few pence as 

 a table bird, it is worth many shillings as a pest destroyer. 



Order TIL comprises the 26 Bustard Quail and the peculiar 

 Australian Plain Wanderer. Only the last species of this 



