470 STOCK-DOVE. 



extending, and whereas its breeding as far as Stirlingshire was 

 considered remarkable a few years ago, it has been known since 

 1885 to nest in the sandhills along the Moray and Dornoch Firths ; 

 while as a wanderer it has reached the Orkneys and Hebrides. In 

 Ireland it was first recognized in 1875 t>y the late Lord Clermont, 

 but up to the present appears to be confined to the north-east, where 

 it is resident. 



The Stock-Dove is found in Scandinavia, and in Russia as far 

 east as the Ural Mountains, up to about 6o°-6i° N. lat. — the limit 

 of oak-growth ; while in many parts of Central Europe it is even 

 more abundant than the Ring-Dove. In the south, as well as in 

 Northern Africa, it is resident in limited numbers, though chiefly 

 observed in winter, on its migration from the colder regions ; while 

 eastward we trace it in Asia as far as the Tigris, beyond which it is 

 represented by C. eversmaimi, which has a pale grey band across the 

 rump. 



As already mentioned, rabbit-burrows, pollard-tops, holes in trees, 

 cliffs &rc., are used as nesting-places, to which may be added cross- 

 beams in old churches, matted ivy, former abodes of other birds, 

 and squirrels' dreys. The eggs — usually 2 in number, though 3 

 have been found — are of a more creamy tint than those of the 

 Ring- or the Rock-Dove : average measurements i"5 by it in. 

 They are often laid in March, usually in April, and have been found 

 as late as October. In length of incubation and general habits this 

 species resembles the Ring-Dove, but its note is shorter and less 

 distinct, and may not inaptly be described as grunting ; while for 

 its food the Stock-Dove consumes a larger proportion of the seeds 

 of charlock and other weeds. Its flight is lighter and far more 

 rapid than that of its heavier and larger congener. A bird which 

 appeared to be a hybrid between a Stock-Dove and a domesticated 

 Pigeon has been shot in Nottinghamshire (Zool. 1885, p. 150). 



The Stock- Dove differs from the Ring-Dove in having no white 

 on the sides of the neck, and the nuchal patch is of a greener tint ; 

 the vinous-purple on the breast hardly comes below the line of the 

 shoulders, and the lower parts are bluish-grey as in the Rock-Dove ; 

 there is no white on the wings, but some black spots on the inner 

 secondaries and wing-coverts form an imperfect bar ; the axillaries 

 and under wing-coverts are grey. The whole length is only 13 "5 in. ; ' 

 wing 8-8 in. The female is slightly smaller than the male and the 

 colours are less brilliant. The young have no shining metallic 

 feathers on the neck before their first moult, and the dark spots on 

 the wing- feathers are scarcely visible. Weight, about 13 ozs. 



