THE PIGEONS. 173 
India (Columba livia and intermedia), the only other 
domesticated Pigeon is kept in India. Doves are known 
as Fakhta in Hindustani and Ghughu in Bengali. . 
THE COLLARED TURTLE-DOVE OR TAME RING-DOVE 
(Turtur risorius).* The wild stock of this very well-known 
pet bird appear to be the Turtur roseogriseus of North- 
East Africa. It is a graceful, rather long-tailed, bird, 
about a foot in length, of a pale delicate fawn colour, 
with a black crescent on the back of the neck, and the root 
half of the tail-feathers black underneath; the tips of 
all but the centre tail-feathers are white, and the pinion- 
quills drab. The eye is deep red with white eyelids, 
and the legs crimson in old birds and light pink in 
young ones, which have hardly any collar, and noticeably 
dull and cloudy-looking plumage. There is a pure white 
variety, in which the eye is vellow with a red pupil, and 
the beak flesh-coloured instead of black. Now and then 
also, birds may be seen of a paler fawn than usual, with 
drab instead of black on the neck and under the tail, 
and white pinion-quills and side tail-feathers. These 
would appear to be a cross between the white and colour- 
ed varieties, and Mr. Ezra tells me he has bred similar 
birds in this way. But ina case where Mr. J. Bathgate 
crossed a young fawn male with an older white hen, the 
young were ordinary fawn-coloured birds. This dove 
does well either in a cage or in an aviary, but, like all 
Doves, can only take proper exercise and show itself off 
in a large space. In either case, it breeds more freely 
than any other cage-bird, keeping on laying and rearing 
young continually. 
