188 BULLETIN 15 5, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



This pigeon, almost as large as the domestic species, is dark bluish 

 gray in general color, with the head, hindneck and upper breast dull 

 purplish drab, the hindneck with a patch of rich purplish brown, 

 and the duller feathers behind margined with the same color. The 

 female is slightly dullef than the male. 



COLUMBA INORNATA INORNATA Vigors 

 PLAIN PIGEON, PALOMA, EAMIER, MILLET, CENIZA, EAMIEK, CENIZA 



Columba, inornata Vigors, Zool. Journ., vol. 3, December, 1827, p. 466 (near 

 Havana, Cuba). 



? Coritas, Oviedo, Hist. Gen. Nat. Indias, Libr. 14, Cap. 2; Reprint, Madrid, 

 1851, p. 442 (common). 



Great Ash-colored Wood Pigeon, Saint-M£ry, Descrip. Span. Part Saint- 

 Domiugo, vol. 1, 1798, p. 305 (common). 



Columbaf, Bryant, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. 11, May, 1867, p. 96 

 (Dominican Republic). 



? Columba caribaea, Bitter, Naturh. Reis. Westind. Insel Hayti, 1836, p. 156 

 (listed).— Hartlaub, Isis, 1847, p. 609 (listed). 



Columba incorata, Tippenhatjer, Die Insel Haiti, 1892, p. 322 (listed). 



Columba inornata, Cory, Birds Haiti and San Domingo, Dec, 1884, p. 136 

 (Magua) ; Cat. West Indian Birds, 1892, p. 97 (Haiti, Dominican Republic). — 

 Christy, Ibis, 1S97, p. 336 (head of Samana Bay). — Verriel, Proc. Acad. Nat. 

 Sci. Philadelphia, 1909, p. 357 (listed). — Lonnberg, Fauna och Flora, 1929, p. 

 101 (Haiti). 



Columba inornata inornata, Bond, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 80, 

 1928, p. 498 (Northern Peninsula, Massif du Nord, Montaignes Noires, Bnnery, 

 iStang Saumatre, Lake Enriquillo, Tortue Island). — Danforth, Auk, 1929, p. 

 365 (Artibonite). 



Resident ; locally common. 



The plain pigeon is less widely distributed than the two preceding 

 species but is common in certain sections. It is less wary and more 

 readily killed, which probably accounts for the lessening numbers 

 recorded of the present form in Cuba and of the slightly differen- 

 tiated subspecies described from the Isle of Pines, Jamaica, and 

 Porto Rico. The wooded interior of Hispaniola today is the only 

 area where representatives of the species as a whole are actually 

 common. 



This is apparently the bird referred to by Oviedo as gorita, and is 

 also the great ash-colored wood-pigeon of Moreau de Saint-Mery, 

 which was said to be " extremely delicate " and to fly in clouds. 

 There are two skins in the Academy of Natural Sciences taken by 

 W. L. Abbott on Samana Bay, D. R., July 30, 1883. Cory collected a 

 male at Magua in the Dominican Republic February 2, 1883. 

 Christy describes it as abundant at the head of Samana Bay in 

 June, July and August. He gives an account of its hunting but we 



