190 INHERITANCE, FERTILITY, AND SEX IN PIGEONS. 



Region, Indian and Oriental Regions, Indo-Malay Archipelago, and also Marianne 

 or Ladrones Islands." 



Brisson^ on the collared turtle {La Tourterelle a Collier). — ^The blond ring-dove 

 was named Turtur torquatus by Brisson, and described as follows : 



"Columba supei'ne ex alba rufescens, inferne alba; coUo inferiore et pectore albis ad vinaceum 

 tendentibus; collo superiore torque nigro cincto. Turtur torquatus. 



These common and scientific names were further noted: 



Turtur Indicus Aldrovandi. Avi., t. II, p. 508, 1645. 



Columba Turtur Indica Aldrovandi. Klein. Avi., p. 119, No. 13, 1750. 



Turtur Indicus Aldrovandi. Willughby. Ornithologie, p. 134, 1G76. 



Turtur Turcicus Schwenckfeld, Avi. Sil., p. 364, 1603. 



Tourterelle des hides Albin. Hist. Nat. Oiseaux, t. III. p. 19, 1750. 



The Germans are stated to call it Turckisch-Tcublin; Schwenkfeld calls it 

 Indianisch-Teublin; Frisch uses Lach-Taube. The Silcsians know it as Lachendes- 

 Teublin; the English as Indian turtle; and Willughby calls it the turtle-dove from 

 the East Indies. Brisson gives the following description : 



" It is a little larger than the preceding (Turtur turtur) . Its length from the tip of the beak to the 

 end of the tail is one foot; to the end of the toes, nine inches. The beak, from the tip to the angle 

 of the mouth, is ten lines in length; the tail, four inches and three lines, the tarsus (pied) ten lines; 

 the middle of the three anterior toes, including the nail, thirteen lines; the lateral toes are a little 

 shorter, and the hind toe is shortest of all. Wing expanse is one foot and eight inches. The wings, 

 when closed, extend a little beyond half the length of the tail. The upper parts of the head and neck, 

 the back and the wing coverts are reddish, or a light color verging to reddish. The under front part 

 of the neck and the breast are light with a slight vinous tinge. The abdomen, the sides, the legs, 

 and the lower coverts of the tail are white.'' The rump inclines a little to brownish-grey. The flights 

 are of the same color with the outer border whitish. The tail-feathers are ashy-grey above, and all 

 except the two middle ones are tipped with white; below, they are blackish at the base, then of a 

 light grey, passing into white at the tip, the outer one at each side having its outer web white. The 

 upper (hind) part of the neck bears a black collar of about two lines in width. The iris of the eyes is 

 of a beautiful red; the beak is blackish; the feet red, and the nails j'ellowish green. 



"The female is distinguished from the male by its paler color. 



"A variety of this species is the Turtle Mule, Turtur hybridus (Brisson), or Turtur mixtus, 

 Schwenckfeld. This Turtle Mule is called Zwitter Turtel-Taube by the Germans. 



" It is of the same size as the Collared Turtle. The top of the head, the neck, and the breast are 

 of a vinous color. The back is wholly ashy and without spots, but a light tinge of obscure reddish is 

 perceptible. The abdomen, the under side of the wings, and the end of the tail is of the same color as 

 the Collared Turtle. The flights are dark, the feet blood-red, and the beak bluish-brown. 



"This variety arises from the union of a male Common Turtle and a female Collared Turtle." 



Brisson makes no statement as to the place of origin of the "blond dove"; but, 

 as all the authors cited by him seem to follow Aldrovandi in ascribing to the bird an 

 Indian origin, Brisson's silence may be construed as acquiescence in this view.' 



Temminck on the blond rmg-dove. — In his "Histoire Naturelle Generate des 

 Pigeons" Temminck'^ calls this bird the "blond dove" (Columbe blonde), and adopts 

 the systematic name given by Linnaeus, viz, Columha risoria, although he ascribes 

 it to Latham. Synonyms, Columbe blonde, Columha risoria Lath., arc given in the 

 index (pp. 481, 482). His account follows. 



^ Ornithologie, Vol. I, Paris, I7C0. 



* White here means light-colored, i.e., pale or whitish-gray. 



= Recently W. Kobelt ("Die Verbreitung der Tierwelt," Leipzig, 1902, p. SO) has given the following opinion 

 "Die Heimat der echten Lachtaube, von der unsere zahmen Exemplare stanimen, ist Ostafrika; nacli DcutschJxind 

 verfliegt sie sich ausserst selten einraal." In this statement Kobelt probably depends on Brehni. 



•Vol.1, 1813, pp. 323-332. 



