290 Capt. G. E. Shelley on the 



0*75, wing 7"3^ tail 4-6, tarsus 0-9. "Iris dark brown; bill 

 asb ; bare skin round the eye, and also the tarsi and feet, 

 dark pink" [T. Aijres, Ibis, 1861, p. 354). 



Female adult. Forehead, front of the crown, cheeks, ear- 

 coverts, and entire underparts grey, freckled or vermiculated 

 with buff; chin and front half of tlie head, pale grey, gra- 

 dually deepening into slate-colour towards the lower breast ; 

 under tail-coverts uniform slate-colour, with almost imper- 

 ceptibly paler edges ; the vermiculatious on the lower throat 

 and chest are shaded with vinous ; remainder of the crown, 

 nape, and back of neck cinnamon, glossed towards the latter 

 part with metallic lilac, shaded with green in certain lights ; 

 remainder of the upper parts slaty black, quills slightly 

 browner ; the metallic lustre of the hind neck extends for a 

 short distance onto the upper back in lilac or green reflec- 

 tions according to the light ; the remainder of the feathers 

 of the upper back and many of the wing-coverts have a barely 

 perceptible chestnut edging to the feathers ; the tail has a 

 narrow pale end, most perceptible from beneath ; under 

 wing-coverts deep slate-colour ; "iris dull red; end portion 

 of the bill yellow, basal portion dark purple; legs flesh- 

 colour ""^ {T. L. Ayres). Total length 10"5 inches, culmen 

 0"65 ; wing 6"5, tail 4"8, tarsus 0"9. 



Hab. Natal. 



The male I have described from the type of Columba luni- 

 gera, Gray, in the British Museum, and the female from a 

 fine specimen in my own cabinet, collected by Mr. T. L. 

 Ayres at Durban, who writes, " This is the only specimen I 

 have shot. It was feeding upon mulberries in a garden on 

 the Berea. My cousin shot two a few days before at the 

 same place in October." 



I know of no other species of African Pigeon, excepting 

 CEna capensis, in which the sexes differ so much as in the 

 present instance ; but that they are mere sexual differences, 

 I think Monsieur Delegorgue, in his original description, 

 places beyond a doubt. This species has not yet been 

 figured. 



