214 



BLACK-THROATED DOVE. 



CEna Capensis, SELBY. 



Above varied with cinereous and brown ; front, throat, and 

 breast deep black ; body beneath white ; primary quills 

 rufous ; tertials with shining purple spots. 



Columba Capensis, Auct. Tourterelle, Le Vaill. Ois. d'Af. vi. 

 pi. 273 adult, 274 young. Columba atrogularis, Wagler, 

 Syst. Avium, 108 CEna Capensis, Selby, MSS. 



THERE is scarcely a more "beautiful little bird among 

 the smaller species of this family than the one now 

 before us. It seems to have a wide dispersion on 

 the African continent, being found at the Cape of 

 Good Hope, Senegal, and as far as Nubia * ; but 

 whether it is in any degree migratory like the two 

 more typical species of Ectopistes, is very uncertain. 

 Mr. Selby very judiciously considers this as a dis- 

 tinct type from the sub-genus Ectopistes of the Ame- 

 rican continent, of which, however, it seems to be 

 the representative. It does not appear that the sub- 

 genera of the typical pigeons are characterised by 

 that peculiarity of geographic distribution which so 

 frequently separates the birds of the old from those 

 of the new world ; at least we have not yet been 

 able to detect any marked difference in structure 

 * Systema Avium, No. 108. 



