86 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



DOVE, TURTLE. 



(Turtur communis.) 

 Order COLUMB^: ; Family COLUMBID^: (PIGEONS). 



Description of Parent Birds. 

 Length about twelve inches. Bill 

 of medium length, slightly curved 

 downward at the tip, and brown. 

 Irides reddish-brown. Crown and 

 back of neck ash-grey, mixed with 

 olive-brown. Back, part of wings, 

 and rump ash-brown, lightest 



on ^ e mar ms ^ the feathers. 

 Wing-quills dusky-brown with 

 TURTLE DOVE. Ughter margins and tips. Tail- 

 coverts dusky-brown, quills the same in the centre, 

 rest dark grey tipped with white, with which the 

 outside feathers on either side are margined. Chin 

 pale brown ; throat and upper breast light purplish- 

 red, fading into grey. The sides of the neck are 

 marked with a patch of black, each feather of 

 which is tipped with white. Belly, vent, and under 

 tail-coverts white. Under-side of tail-feathers black, 

 deeply tipped with white, except two centre ones, 

 which are of a uniform dusky brown. 



The female is rather smaller in size, lacks t'nc 

 black feathers tipped with white on the sides of the 

 neck, and is duller and less distinctive in her colora- 

 tion. 



Situation and Locality. In tall, rough hedges, 

 whitethorn and holly bushes ; in woods, plantations, 

 copses, and spinneys. Common in the southern, 

 midland, and eastern counties ; scarcer in the 

 west and north but it is doubtful as to whether 



