PIGEONS IN NORWAY. 141 



The stock dove (G. cenas) is by no means so common 

 as the preceding. It does not venture further north 

 than the Sondre Throndjem Amt. It nests here in 

 the holes of trees, and arrives by the end of March,, 

 migrating in September. The young birds are fully 

 fledged by the beginning of June. Called here blaa- 

 duen, or blue-dove. 



The rock dove (G. livia) is supposed, and with every 

 appearance of reason to be the origin of the domestic 

 pigeon so commonly used nowadays at pigeon matches, 

 under the name of " blue rock." Its breeding ground 

 in this country is on the islands off the S.W. coast, 

 near Stavanger, viz. Kenneso, Omo, Mostero, etc. ; 

 there it makes its nest on the rocks and in the sides of 

 the cliffs, and, occasionally, stray birds find their way 

 over to the mainland. Its Norwegian name is Mippe- 

 duen, or rock- dove. 



The turtle dove (G. turtur) is a very rare visitor to 

 either Sweden or Norway. The first known specimen 

 was shot at Malmo in Sweden, in 1813 ; another was 

 shot near the same place, October 16th, 1847, and may 

 be seen in the Zoological Museum at Lund ; another 

 has been shot at Quickjock, in Swedish Lapland. 

 Only one specimen has been observed in Norway, and 

 that is now in the Zoological Museum at Christiania. 



