Columbidae of the Ethiopian Region. 305 



into deep slate-colour on the remainder of the coverts ; the 

 rump washed with slaty grey ; bastard wing and primary- 

 coverts brownish black ; primaries blackish brown, the quills 

 generally with partial narrow whitish edges ; remainder of 

 the tail brownish black for more than the basal three quarters 

 of its length, the end portion being ashy brown, slightly 

 paler towards the tips of the feathers ; the outer feathers 

 with a very narrow paler edge to the outer webs ; under sur- 

 face of the tail black and white ; the vinous chest passes into 

 leaden grey on the sides, abdomen, thighs, and under tail- 

 coverts, the latter are slightly paler at their edges ; under 

 wing-coverts deep slate-colour; under surface of the quills 

 uniform dark brown ; " iris bright orange- red ; bill black ; 

 tarsi and feet dark rose-red " {T. Ayres). Total length 11 '8 

 inches, culmen 0"7, wing 7, tail 5'3, tarsus 0'95, 



Hub. The whole African continent southward from about 

 41° N. lat. It has not been obtained either in Madagascar 

 or the Comoro Islands. The Turtur semitorquatus of authors 

 from those islands really refers to T. capicola. My descrip- 

 tion is taken from a specimen collected at Accra, on the Gold 

 Coast, by Mr. T. E. Buckley. 



I have in my own collection a very curious variety, which 

 I refer to T. semitorquatus, labelled " Niger [Baikie) ." It is 

 nearly intermediate between T. semitorquatus and T. decipiens, 

 and I shall endeavour to point out its characters and rela- 

 tionship to those two species in the following tabular form. 



a. Entire abdomen and under tail-coverts uui- 

 form deep leaden grey ; chest of a deeper 

 vinous shade. 

 a\ With no shade of grey on the cheeks ; 

 forehead white, tinted in front with 

 vinous buff; chin and centre of the 

 upper throat pale vinous pink ; upper 

 parts darker ; under wing-coverts slaty 

 grey ; with barely any white on the 

 upper surface of the tail ; white end on 

 the under surface of the outer tail-fea- 

 ther narrower, about 1 inch in width . . 1 . semitorquatus, typical. 



