202 



TRERONID^. 



unsatisfactory state for describing. Jerdon says this species is found 

 in Western and Central India, and is probably migratory. 



Columba intermedia, Strickl; Jerd. B. Ind. iii. p. 469, No. 788 ; 

 Ihime, Str. F. i. 217; vi. 419 ; Blf. East. Pers. p. 268; Murray, Hdhh, 

 ZooL, Si'c, Sind, p. 193. — The Blue Rock Pigeon. 



Head, nape, chin, abdomen, vent and upper and under tail- 

 coverts dark slaty grey ; back, scapulars, secondaries, tertials, inner webs 

 of primaries and rnmp pale ashy, paler on the rump ; the outer web af 

 the primaries dusky grey, as are also their tips ; secondaries broadly 

 tipped dusky, the innermost tertials and greater wing-coverts with a 

 subterminal black patch on the outer web only, forming two black 

 wing bands ; neck all round and breast glossy, changeable green and 

 amethystine, in varying lights; throat also slightly tinged with glossy 

 green ; under wing-coverts white ; tail like the upper tail-coverts, or a 

 little paler for two-thirds its length, then broadly black, with a very 

 narrow terminal ashy tip ; the basal two-thirds or more of the outer web 

 of the outermost feather white; bill black; cere whitish; irides dnll 

 orange ; legs pinkish red. 



Length. — 12 to 13 inches, wing 8| to 9, tail 5, bill at front 0'75. 



Hah. — Throughout India to Ceylon, the Himalayas, Assam, Burmah, 

 Persia, Beloochistan and Afghanistan in great abundance, congregating 

 in large flocks. 



Columba livia. Dp. Tig. ; PI. En. 510. Naum. vogt. t. 150; Tern. 

 Pig. t. 12; Gould. B. Eur. pi. 245; Gray, Handlist Birds, No. 9231; 

 Blf. East. Pcrs. p. 268; Hume, Str. P. i. 218; vii. 296; Murray, 

 HdbJc, ZooL, 8jX., Sind, p. 193. — The Rock Dove. 



Differs from G. intermedia in having a jnire white instead of an ash 

 coloured rump. 



Hab. — S. E. Europe, Sind, Beloochistan, S. Persia and S. Afghanis- 

 tan. 



The following is a description of a specimen obtained 17 miles 

 south of Sukkur, which provisionally I would call Columba intermedia, 

 var. atra : — 



In every character like Intermedia, except that the primaries are a 

 dark grey externally, tipped dusky and irrorated with white on their inner 

 webs near the shafts, and pale whitish grey for their basal two-thirds ; 

 the primary coverts dark brown, nearly Ijlack on their outer webs, dark 

 ashy grey on their inner; shoulder and edge of wing pale grey; 

 lesser, median and greater coverts dark brown, nearly black, the fea- 

 thei's tipped narrowly with ashy white; outer webs of secondaries dark 

 brown, nearly black, broady tipped on their inner webs, also of the same 

 colour; the rest of inner web irrorated greyish white, and all, very 

 narrowly edged round the tip of the feathers with pale white; scapulars 

 like the secondaries, with pale white shaft-stripes broadening at the tip; 

 rump mixed pale grey and white ; upper tail-coverts slightly darker 

 than in intermedia or lima', middle of abdomen greyish whi*^'^_; mixed 

 with slaty; under surface of wing bluish ashy; axillaries whiic. 



