STOCK COVE. 257 



Columba a-nas is, in trutli, a soiitliern species. According 

 to Sir William Jardine, Mr. Macgillivray, and other autho- 

 rities, it is not found in Scotland, in the Hebrides, in Ork- 

 ney, or in Shetland, where the Rock Dove is common on 

 most of the high cliffs and promontories at the sea side wliich 

 have caves or fissures. When the Stock Dove does go north- 

 ward, it is only as a summer visiter. M. Nilsson includes it 

 among the birds of Sweden, and has given an excellent figure 

 of it in the coloured illustrations of his Scandinavian Fauna. 

 In that country, where the Rock Dove is also found, the 

 Stock Dove builds in holes of trees, and departs southward 

 in autumn with the Ring Dove. M. Vieillot says it is only 

 a summer visiter to Germany and France, and always found 

 to inhabit woods in the interior of each country. It is found 

 in Provence and the eastern part of Spain. It is abundant 

 in Italy during September, October, and November, then 

 frequently going farther south. It is included among the 

 Birds of Madeira. Mr. Selby and M. Temminck consider 

 it as widely diffused in North Africa, but not going south- 

 ward of the tropic ; and the Zoological Society have recently 

 received specimens from Erzeroom, which agree exactly with 

 our British examples ; Messrs. Dickson and Ross, from whom 

 they were received, remarking in their notes of communica- 

 tion, published in the Society^s Proceedings, that it is com- 

 mon in that locality. 



The beak is reddish orange ; the irides scarlet ; head, neck, 

 back, scapulars, and both sets of wing-coverts, bluish grey; 

 primary quill-feathers lead grey, the external margin lighter ; 

 the secondaries pearl grey at the base of the outer web, the 

 ends lead grey ; the tertials bluish grey, the last three with a 

 single lead grey spot on the outer web, sometimes a similar 

 spot on the wing-covert feather above ; but these spots do not 

 form a band in any position of the wing ; rump and upper 

 tail-coverts french-grey ; tail-feathers twelve, the basal two- 



VOL. II. S 



