472 



PILEOPSIS PINE APPLE. 



clearly shows that it is a member. The eggs are six 

 or eight in number, which answers to a gallinaceous 

 bird rather than to a pigeon. The young are covered 

 with down when they break the shell, and the parent 

 birds erather them under their wings. Thus far there 

 is a slight resemblance, but here it ends. The birds 

 pair, which the true Galimidce never do ; and the 

 male and female sit alternately on the eggs, and pay 

 equal attention to the young, which is not the case 

 with any of the gallinaceous birds. Indeed, in all the 

 essentials of their character, these birds are as dis- 

 tinct from the gallinaceous birds, and as decidedly 

 pigeons, as the best-winged and most aerial of the 

 family. 



The wattled ground dove is a native of Southern 

 Africa, most abundant in the Nimagua country, 

 which, as we have already stated, is the grand 

 natural museum for the animals of Southern Africa. 

 They are less exclusively vegetable feeders than 

 some of the others, and readily eat insects and worms 

 as well as seeds and berries ; and it is understood 

 that the young 1 are at first fed upon animal sub- 

 stances, and that they soon learn to pick up their own 

 food, which is of a miscellaneous character. When 

 the breeding time is over they assemble in packs, but 

 they always separate in pairs, and each pair dwells 

 apart during the breeding season. 



Nicobar Ground Dove. The common name of this 

 species is incorrect ; for, instead of being confined to 

 the small islands of Nicobar, it is pretty generally 

 distributed over the whole of the Oriental archipelago. 

 It is a beautiful bird, and remarkable for the length 

 and apparent looseness of all its plumage, with the 

 exception of the quills and tail-feathers, which pre- 

 serve the firm character belonging to the pigeons. 

 It roosts and nestles in trees, though the nest is 

 generally near the ground, and the young are very 

 soon able to find their own food. 



It is a very beautiful bird, and one of which it is 

 scarcely possible to describe the colours. The cloth- 

 ing-feathers are one colour, namely, deep bronze 

 green, but, as the light falls differently upon it, this 

 shows every shade of colour from golden yellow to 

 intense purple. The feathers on the head and neck 

 are loose and silky ; and the clothing, on the upper 

 part of the body especially, has the feathers very dis- 

 tinct ; the tail is white, and the quills are bluish black. 

 It is rather larger, and does not partake much of that 

 timidity which is so common among the pigeon 

 family. There are several other ground doves ; but 

 our limit is reached, and we must close. 



PILEOPSIS (Lamarck; PATELLA CNGARICA, 

 Linnaeus). This genus of molluscs is one of the 

 many instances of Linnaean error ; it was confounded 

 with many others in the genus Patella, from which it 

 may be distinguished by the shell being an oblique 

 sharp-pointed cone, bent forward with a recurved, 

 almost spiral summit, finely striated longitudinally, 

 and wrinkled transversely ; the aperture a round 

 oval ; the anterior margin shorter and sharper than 

 the posterior ; the base nearly round, more or less 

 regularly crenated and indented ; the anterior with a 

 lengthened arched transverse muscular impression, 

 In the fossil examples of this genus a testaceous 

 deposit or support, apparently the result of successive 

 accumulations, is visible upon the surface to which 

 they are attached, leaving, as it were, the impression 

 of the shell's margin. As this deposit has never 

 been seen on the spot whence recent specimens 



have been removed, it may be concluded that the 

 animal inhabiting them seldom, if ever, removed from 

 one spot to another. The Pilcopsis uiigarica, com- 

 monly called in this country the foolscap limpet, 

 and its congeners, may more properly be considered 

 to belong to the genus Hipponlr, according to 

 Sovverby's opinion. There are twenty-one species 

 not known to possess the basal accumulation observed 

 in the fossil species. The mollusc inhabiting this 

 genus is nearly allied to the Patella. It possesses 

 two conical tentacula, and the eyes at their base ; 

 the branchia are formed in a row, under the anterior 

 margin of the cavity, near the neck. They are found 

 in the European seas principally, but some very large 

 species are inhabitants of the tropical climates. 



PIMELIIDvE. A family of coleopterous insects, 

 belonging to the section Hcteromera, sub-section 

 Mclasoma, having the elytra soldered together, the 

 wings being obsolete, the palpi filiform, or terminated 

 by a slightly-dilated joint, and not forming a large 

 hatchet-shaped club. These insects are of a moderate 

 size, and generally of black or obscure colour, and 

 of a robust form ; their legs are thick and their motion 

 slow. Many of the species are found in the sandy 

 districts of the shores of the Mediterranean, west and 

 southern Asia, and Africa. The genera are Pimelia, 

 Plah/npe, Diesla, Trachy derma, Cri/ptocheile, Erodiun, 

 Zophosis, Nyctelia, Hegcter, Tcnti/ria, Aids, Elena- 

 phorm, Enryckora, Adclostoma, Tasienia, Psamme,- 

 tichus, Scaurus, Scotobitts, Scpidinm, Tracln/notus, and 

 Moluris, together with numerous others recently 

 established by M. Solierin the Annalesde la Societe 

 Entomologique de France. 



The genus Pimelia is distinguished by having the 

 body of an ovoid or oval form, with the thorax nar- 

 rowed, especially at the base, convex, without pos- 

 terior angles, and destitute of a porrected prosternum. 

 One of the most remarkable species is the Pimelia 

 coronata from Egypt, which has the margins of the 

 elytra furnished with a series of spines, giving it 

 somewhat the appearance of a coronet. 



PI ME NT A (Lindley). A single genus, formerly 

 the Myrtus pimenta of Linuseus, and still belonging 

 to the natural order Myrtaccce. It is the plant 

 which yields the common allspice, and is cultivated 

 in the West Indies. The berries, when intended to 

 be used as spice, should be gathered as soon as the 

 flowers have faded, and not be allowed to ripen. 

 They have a commingled flavour of cloves, cinnamon, 

 and nutmegs, and hence the common name. In our 

 stoves they grow freely in loam and heath mould, 

 and are propagated by cuttings. 



PIMPLA (Fabricius). A genus of hymeno- 

 pterous insects, belonging to the family Ichneumonida?, 

 and distinguished generally by the great length of the 

 ovipositor and its lateral filaments. There are many 

 species, some of those found in tropical climates being 

 the largest insects of the family. 



PINE APPLE is the fruit of the Anana.isa saliva 

 of Dr. Brown (the old Bromelia ananas of Linnanis), 

 or cultivated pine apple. The culture of this cele- 

 brated fruit is one of the most important feats of 

 modern gardening, and no branch of the business 

 is attended with more success. In former times, if a 

 pine plant could be fruited in three years, the 

 gardener considered himself lucky ; now, the prin- 

 cipal crop is fruited in less than two. We have not 

 only improved the method of growing the plant, but 

 increased the varieties, so that they may be had at 



