COLUMBID.E — THE PIGEONS. 



387 



they are of an oblong-oval sliape, white in color, and nearly equal at either 

 extremity. 



Genus SCARDAFELLA, Bonap. 



Scardafclla, Bon. Conspectus, II, 1854, 85. (Type, Columba squamosa, Temm.) 



Gen. Guar. Bill lengthened ; culnien more than half the length of the head measured 

 from frontal feathers. Feet as in Chamcepelia. 

 Wing with the tertials nearly as long as the 

 primaries ; shorter, however, than the first 

 primary. Tail considerably longer than the 

 wing, of twelve feathers, of peculiar shape ; the 

 ten middle feathers nearly even, or very slightly 

 decreasing toward the sides, but the intermedia^ 

 considerably shorter, while the lateral pair are 

 much the shortest ; the feathers are narrow, 

 especially toward the end, but the tip is obtuse. 



33G58 



Scardafella inca. 



Two species are known ; one North American, the otlier confined to South 

 America. 



Species and Varieties. 



Common Characters. Brownish-gray above, paler, and with a vinaceous 

 cast anteriorly, beneath. Each feather with a terminal dusky crescentic bar, 

 producing a squamate appearance ; inner webs of quills chestnut ; axillars black; 

 about terminal half of three outer tail-feathers white. 



S. squamosa.' A white patch on the wing-coverts and secondaries; 



abdomen and crissum white. Black crescentic bars very heavy. Wing, 



3.90; tail, 4.10. Hub. Brazil, Ecuador. 



S. inca. No white patch on wings ; abdomen and crissum pale ochraceous. 



Black bars very faint on breast, obsolete on throat. Wing, 3.75 ; tail, 4.40. 



Hab. Mexico and Guatemala; Rio Grande of Texas. 



Scardafella inca, Bonap. 



SCALY DOVE. 



Scardafella inca, (Bonap.) Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, 391. — Reichenb. Handb. 19, tab. 250, 

 f. 1393 ; tab. 253, f. 1410. —Elliot, Illust. II, pi. xxxvii. — Coop. Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 

 519. Scardafclla squamosa (" Temm.") Wagl. Isis, 1831, 519 (not of Temminck !). — 

 Baird, Buds N. Am. 1858, 605. 



Sp. Char. Above ashy-brown, becoming purer and lighter ashy on the wings. Beneath 

 pale ashy-lilaceous, with a pinkish tinge anteriorly, becoming pale ochraceous on the 

 abdomen, tibia3, and crissum. Outer webs and ends of primaries, and tail-feathers (except 

 the intermedias), dusky. Every feather (except rectrices and primaries) terminated with a 

 crescentic bar of dusky ; these bars heaviest on the mantle, upper tail-coverts, and on 



1 Scardafella squamosa. Columha squamosa, Temm. Pig. et Gal. I, 59. A specimen of this 

 species from Venezuela has the black bars everywhere twice as broad as in Brazilian examples. 



