12 COLUMBID^. 



large forests of France it is abundant, and resident, but in 

 the countries bordering the Mediterranean it principally 

 occurs on migration. In Morocco, however, Colonel Irby 

 observed it during the breeding-season near Tangier, and 

 also as far south as Larache ; and it certainly visits and 

 probably breeds in Algeria ; but its occurrence as far as 

 Egypt is at present open to doubt. In Palestine and Asia 

 Minor it is also found, reaching as far as the Tigris, but 

 beyond the Persian plateau, and eastward of that line and of 

 Turkestan, its place is taken by a very interesting and dis- 

 tinct species, G. cversmanni. The latter, whilst resembling 

 C. oeiias in the broken and undefined character of the bars 

 on the wing, differs from it in having the basal half of the 

 bill black, the crown of the head vinous, and a pale grey 

 band across the rump, in which latter characteristic it 

 ajiproaches the Rock Dove, C. livia. 



The beak is horn-white at the tip : the basal portion red ; 

 irides brown ; head, neck, back, scapulars, and wing-coverts 

 bluish-grey ; primary quill- feathers brownish-grey, the ex- 

 ternal margin lighter ; secondaries pearl-grey at the base of 

 the outer web, lead-grey at the ends ; tertials bluish-grey, the 

 last three with a dark lead-grey spot on the outer web, and a 

 similar spot on some of the wing-coverts above, without, 

 however, forming a regular band in any position of the wing ; 

 rump and upper tail-coverts light bluish-grey ; tail of twelve 

 feathers : the basal two-thirds bluish-grey, inclining to white 

 on the outer web of the exterior ones, followed by a band of 

 lighter grey : the ends lead-grey ; chin bluish-grey ; sides of 

 the neck glossy green, with purple reflections ; breast vinous ; 

 belly, flanks, vent, under wing, and under tail-coverts pale 

 bluish-grey ; tarsi and feet red. The whole length of the 

 male is about thirteen and a half inches. From the carpal 

 joint to the end of wing nearly nine inches ; the second quill- 

 feather the longest, and the third nearly equal to it. The 

 female is somewhat smaller, and her colours are less brilliant. 



Young birds before their first moult have no shining 

 metallic feathers in the neck, nor are the spots on the tertials 

 and wing-coverts apparent. 



