MHID.K 



i MHIDJS. 



80 



ai raUwr more, 

 and a half btyoejl 



_r-_-LeeUi Iron. U to 1 inoha,tiMteU being 



UMT nwre. Wings " ~*l. * olo a ' *' '"^ 

 half beyond UM root of UM tell, round-i and with the third 

 |ii M art : UM ftrrt and fobrUi being equal to eech other. Hill, 

 iiililn from UM frb*d, nearly thrre quarter* of an inch long ; 

 tfc. tin of UM npper man.lit.lr moderately arch.-.!, and with a n-t.-li ; 

 the* of UM lower angulat*-! and etrong; throat, yellowuh-whito ; 

 httd. sMss. and front of UM neck, and whole of the under plumage 

 anwe-orown ; hinder part of UM nck changeable rich riolet -purple 

 wftn brilliant |oU rejeetioos ; back. ng covert*, and the rest of 

 tW apfMr plunug*. deep rddi*h-brown* *hot with bronze in some 

 lkU: Uil (radnaUd or cnwiform. thr two middle feathers brown. 

 lh UUral marked obliquely with a black bar ; feet and naked part 

 at Up reddh-brown ; sole of the hind and inner toes much 



diferinf from UM adult in baring the neck dirty reddish- 

 brown. with narrow ban of black ; Mir of a pale reddish-gray, 

 minutely and darkly peck]ed; back inclining to hair-brown; and 

 gnu Her wing-eorerU deeply edged with orange-brown. 



remminck nrst dewribed the specie* in the ' Linnicin Trans- 

 uHnns.' from an Australian specimen. It baa since been observed 

 la sjwet of UM Philippine an-l Molucca Islands, Java, ftc. 



tVsils Ptr'TTff/TT is an inhabitant of the woods. It* food is said 

 10 enamct of a kin I of pimento and of other aromatic berries, 

 wallowed entire. The flesh ia dark, but it* flavour is stated to be 



Mr fWtiy Ri\km UM group t/i contain Cuitmba tfoeroura, Auct ; 

 r >MU/u. Wag-to; *nd f. fr-minir./-... T.-I..II.. " Of iU precise 

 ftaatioa." mj* Mr Selby, "in the circle of the t'oltmbiAr, we speak 

 with aoejM dfroe of doubt, not baring had an opportunity of 

 lje|llllaje. to strict an attain-* of the ipecie* an the subject requirm ; 

 but we batter* it will be found to enter amon? the Ptilinopuur, or 

 arboreal pi*o<M. M UM feet and tani of iU members are similar in 

 fens to UVMS of that dirWon, the latter being rery short and partly 

 (toned below the joint, UM furmer with the exterior t * longer than 

 the fatter. awl UM binder tne fully derelnped ; the sole of the foot, 

 Hr Ik* estewinn at UM membrane, is broad and en|nirr, ami tl.r 

 inn ar* arched and stronc. all of which are character- <-i j.l.-ntly 

 to be exprwaly adaptetl for perching and 

 . and not for grsesorial moreoMOta. The bill aun in one 



sfiatss (C. Heifwunllii) approaehe* in point of streiurth neariy to 

 UM* at r.M*, and m all of them the tip of both mandible* i bard 

 esH tm. UM upper one with a ri.ible emrgination and mwleratoly 



' 



tipper one 



ir IttbiU Md Bode of life are aim neariy allied to the 



'.- 



inhahitanU of the W.MK!, 



j UM fruiu and berriee of rariooi tree* and shrub*. 

 . TsnMiMii, In his desertpiluo of thi. speciea, says that it poa- 

 etmctnr, and form preciwly .iniiUr U, that of the C. 

 r>srts of North America. To thi. we cannot subacribe, seeing 

 that He tial dMncters, as abore dwcribed, are diflbreot, and 



that the only point of resemblance . .iil.-i...l. 



Indeed, so far remored do we think it fn.ni the Auii-riiitn trn.up, 

 that we cannot consider it as it* analogue in the Asiatic regions 

 where it resides." 



<:./uixl.a, Auct. Mont ornithologidta are agreed that the imb-fiiinily 

 Columbian contains the type of the form nf the CWnmoioV, ami that 

 we are to look among the species of our own country for that type. 

 The Ring-Pigeon, Cuhat or (Jueeet (('. I'altmbat), the Wood-P 

 (C. (i'ntu), and the Rock-Pigeon or Bwet (C. llria), are connidered to 

 be the forms in which the peculiarity of structure and habit* of the 

 family are most perfectly developed, and of these r. Palvmbut U 

 generally taken as the typical point of comparinon. The Columbian 

 are distinguished by a bill of moderate strength, with a hard tip, 

 bulging and somewhat arched. The nostrils are partly clothed by a 

 soft membrane, and the orbit* of the eyes are more or less denuded 

 of feathers. The feet may be called both gressorial and insessorial ; 

 for they are so organised, that the action of walking or perching 

 may be performed at pleasure, for the back toe is moderately long, 

 and the claws are so formed and placed an not to interfere with 

 terrestrial progression, while they are at the same time eulculated 

 for arboreal prehension. In the types the exterior and interior toea 

 are of equal length. The wings an- fully developed and somcwli.it 

 pointed ; the second and third quills are the longest The tail is 

 generally square, and moderately long. 



"In those specie*," says Mr. Selby, in the work above quoted, 

 " which are the media of connection with other groups, the above 

 characters become partially modified, as we see exemplified in the 

 species nearest allied to the Pltiinopina, or iirboreal pigeons, their 

 feet losing the true character of that of the common pigeon, and 

 assuming more of the grasping form than that fitted for progress upon 

 the ground." 



The species are very numerous, and spread over every quarter of 

 the globe. 



" The prevailing colour of the pigeons is bluish-gray, of various 

 intensities and shades, frequently embellished upon the neck with 

 feathers having a metallic lustre and peculiar form, and which exliiliit 

 various tints of colour according to the light in which they arc viewed. 



pair. Most of the species seek their food upon the ground. This 

 consists of the different Ccrealia, as also acorns, beech-most, anil ot ln-r 

 seeds, and occasionally of the green and tender loaves of particular 

 plants. Their flesh is sapid and nutritions, being of a wann and 

 invigorating nature. Their flight is powerful, very rapid, and can be 

 long sustained, and many species are in the habit of making distant 

 periodical migrations. They are widely disseminated, species of the 

 ganus being found in every quarter of the globe, and in all climates, 

 except the frozen regions of the two hemispheres. They buiM in 

 trees or holes of rocks, making a shallow nest of small twigs loosely 

 put together. Their eggs are never more than two in number, their 

 colour a pure white ; they are incubated alternately by both sexes, 

 and are hatched after being sat upon from eightesn to twenty-one days. 

 The young, upon exclusion, are thinly covered with down, which is 

 rapidly succeeded by Uw proper Jsathers." (S,ll, v i Tin- npj.nratua 

 for preparing the food for the nestlings has been before advfi-ti-il to. 



C. ipadieea, Mr. Selby places this species as conin-i-ting tin- arbo- 

 real species with the typical pigeons, but arranges it mi. In- tin- > 

 binir, not without doulit, " for although it presents characters in some 

 of it* members approaching those of the pigeons, it cannot be denied 

 that, in its general appearance, and the metallic lustra of its plumage, 

 it also shows evident marks of a near affinity to several specie* of the 

 genu* CuriKtpHaffn, and it might perhaps with equal propriety be 

 placed at the extremity of that group ;" and n-givU the little infor- 

 mation extant of it* peculiar habits and mode of life, which would 

 hare assisted in forming a more satisfactory conclusion as to it, proper 

 iti.in. He adds, that from the fbrm and da* of tl>, f.-.-t . may 

 i that it* habit* are more those of an arboreal than terrestrial 

 . though it* claws want the groat curvature of those of the J'tili- 

 noptiur, and show it* capability of occasionally r. >"i1mi; t" the (.'round 

 for food. M. Lenson, who killed many in.livi.lualM of tlii brilliant 

 pigeon, de*cril-.l l>y Latham and figured l'\ 'IVminiin-k, (.ays that its 

 flesh U excellent, and that it is n-ry abundant in the woods about 

 the Bay of Ipiripi, or the Bay of Inlands. The first whirl, he procured 

 wa* killed an. I s.-nt to the expedition by one of the officers of the 

 roquilli' ; ami Toui, ehief ..f th.- hippah of Kaouera, near whieh ! 

 was moored, brought them fr.-.|iiently on board. He adds, that the 

 i.i'liv.ilual described by Latham as the Chestnut Shouldered Pigeon 

 came from Norfolk Island, not far from New Zealand, and that 

 M. Temminck indicate* the Friendly or Tonga Islands as its native 

 roiiutry. Thi* locality M. Leswii, from whom the following descrip- 

 tion ia token, seem* to doubt. 



Total length, 16J inches (French) English authors give it as from 

 10 to 20 inches; tail 6 inches, nearly rectilineal, and slightly noti-h.- I ; 

 bill rather swollen near the point of the l<m.-r n,.o,.lil.lr. of n brilliant 

 carmine at it* base as well a* the feet, the tarsi of whi. h 

 almost to the toes. The eves are surrounded with a bright ><! n-m- 

 brane, and the iris is of the same colour. All the upper part* of the 



