244 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Adult male—General colour above and below rufous-chestnut, paler on the 
under-surface, with purple and green reflections on the hinder neck and mantle ; 
bastard-wing, primary-coverts and quills blackish-brown, the latter with rufous 
edgings ; tail chestnut with indications of a blackish bar towards the tip on the 
three outer feathers, middle feathers with obsolete dark bars, scarcely visible ; 
fore-head paler rufous than the crown; chin buff; throat, sides of face, and 
chest dark cinnamon, becoming paler on the breast and rufous-chestnut on the 
flanks and under tail-coverts; under wing-coverts much darker chestnut; 
under-surface of tail pale rufous, some of the outer feathers marked with slate- 
grey ; iris deep yellow or blue with an outer circle of scarlet, orbital skin bluish- 
lilac, feet pink-red. Total length 382 mm.; culmen 24, wing 197, tail 187, 
tarsus 22, 
Adult female.—Differs from the adult male in its smaller size and paler coloration, 
the head chestnut, the lower hind-neck, and upper back brown, minutely barred or 
dusted with rufous, the feathers of the wings and scapulars dark brown, everywhere 
margined with bright chestnut, the bastard-wing, primary-coverts and quills dark 
brown, edged with rufous ; rump and upper tail-coverts bright chestnut ; the tail 
similar but duller; chin and middle of upper throat buff; sides of face and sides 
of neck pale chestnut with narrow black bars, becoming deeper chestnut colour 
on the fore-neck and chest, and with the dark bars wider apart, the abdomen paler 
chestnut and the dark bars less defined ; bill black ; iris white; feet red. Total 
length 393 mm. ; culmen 23, wing 178, tail 180, tarsus 22. 
Immature male.—Differs from the adult male in having the crown of the head 
bright chestnut ; the feathers of the wings margined with bright rufous-chestnut ; 
hind-neck, mantle, fore-neck and chest narrowly barred with rufous and black, more 
broadly on the breast ; a buff streak below the eye; bill very dark slate colour ; 
iris chestnut ; tarsus and feet dark magenta. Wing 184 mm. 
Immature female—Similar to the immature male described above. Bill black : 
iris white ; feet red. 
Nest.—A very primitive structure being simply a few sticks placed crosswise, 
without any cavity, and barely sufficient to retain the egg in position. 
Egg.—Clutch, one; a true ellipse in form; pure white; the texture of the shell 
being fine and slightly glossy. Dimensions 34 mm. by 24. 
Breeding-season.—October to February. 
Distribution and forms.—Queensland, Eastern Northern Territory and New 
South Wales, and probably extra-limital. The two Australian forms are easily 
separable by size, the northern form J. p. robinsoni Mathews, being notably smaller. 
Rothschild and Hartert, twenty years ago, indicated four additional subspecies 
ranging west to Sumatra and north to the Philippines, but this distribution wants 
reconsideration with more material available than at present. 
Famiry TURTURIDA, 
There appears to be at least two distinct groups associated in this family, the 
Turtle-Doves and the Ground-Doves. The former are more delicate ground- 
feeding but flying birds, while the latter are stouter ground-feeding and ground- 
living birds. The feet of the latter are very stout and of Galline form, while those 
of the former are more slender and of a semi-perching character. The bills differ 
in much the same way, and of course the wings show corresponding differences. 
Garrod’s peculiar grouping cast a blight upon Pigeon systematics, and novel work 
must be undertaken in a scientific manner to rearrange the birds accurately. If the 
restricted families here admitted are polyphyletic, as Garrod’s conclusions suggest, 
the rearrangement will provide many surprises. 
