STOCK-£)OVE. 245 



Adult Male. — General colour above drab grey ; the wing- 

 coverts like the back, but a little clearer grey, especially on the 

 greater series, two of the innermost of which have black bases, 

 forming a double spot on the wing; bastard-wing, primary- 

 coverts, and quills blackish, bluish grey on the inner webs of 

 some of the primary-coverts, and on the base of the outer webs 

 of the inner primaries and outer secondaries, the inner second- 

 aries almost entirely grey, and the innermost resembling the 

 back, with a black spot in the middle of the outer web of two 

 of them, forming another double spot on the wing ; lower 

 back, rump, and upper tail-coverts clear bluish-grey ; tail 

 bluish-grey, black for the terminal third, the under surface of 

 the tail blackish, with a grey sub-terminal band; head and 

 throat bluish-grey, with a dusky patch on the ear-coverts ; sides 

 of neck and hind-neck glossed with metallic-green and lilac ; 

 lower throat, fore-neck, and chest delicate vinous, fading off 

 into the delicate pearly grey of the rest of the under parts ; the 

 under tail-coverts slightly darker bluish-grey, with pale pearly- 

 grey margins to the feathers ; the under wing-coverts and 

 axillaries also somewhat darker grey than the breast ; bill red 

 at base, yellow towards the tip, and grey on the soft part 

 of the base of the upper mandible ; feet pinkish red ; iris 

 red. Total length, 14 inches ; culmen, 0*8 ; wing, 8*2 ; tail, 4*0 ; 

 tarsus, 1*2. 



Adult Female.— Similar to the male, but a little smaller and 

 duller in colour. Total length, 13-5 inches; wing, 8-5. 



Young. — Duller in colour than the adults ; the green colour 

 wanting on the neck, and the black spots on the wings 

 obsolete. 



Characters.— The smaller size, the lack of the large white 

 patches on the sides of the neck, and the absence of white 

 round the bend of the wing and on the outer wing-coverts, as 

 well as the presence of the four black spots on the wing, 

 caused by the bases to two of the inner greater coverts and 

 two of the inner secondaries being black, distinguish the Stock- 

 Dove from the Wood-Pigeon. 



Range in Great Britain. ^The Stock- Dove, like the Wood- 

 Pigeon, is found in most parts of England, and is extending 

 its range northward in Scotland. Mr. Ussher also reports that 



