JBfctttfuari) at &mmatrtt Mature. 523 



The CROPPER. The body of this variety 

 is thick, short, and clumsy ; as are also the 

 legs, which are feathered down to the feet : 

 they have a large pouch or bag hanging 

 under their beak, which they can inflate with 

 wind or depress at pleasure : their crop 

 hangs low, but is very large ; and they are 

 so loose-feathered on their thighs, as to be 

 styled flag-thighed. 



The NUN. The head of this bird is almost 

 covered with a veil of feathers, whence its 

 name. Its body is chiefly white ; its head, 

 tail, and the six flight-feathers of its wings 

 should be entirely red, yellow, or black ; 

 that is, when its head is red, the tail and 

 j flight-feathers should be red ; and when its 

 head is yellow or black, the tail and flight- 

 feathers should invariably correspond with 



The EALU-PATE, or WHITE-CROWNED 

 PIGEON. (Columba leucocephala.) We de- 

 rive our information respecting this and the 

 succeeding species from Mr. Gosse's ' Birds 

 of Jamaica.' The author tells us that " this 

 fine dove is common in almost all situations, 

 but chiefly affects the groves of pimento, 

 which generally adorn the mountain pens. 

 The sweet aromatic berries afford him abun- 

 dant and delicious food during the pimento 

 season ; the umbrageous trees afford him a 

 concealment suited to his shy and suspicious 

 character ; and on them his mate prefers to 

 build her rude platform-nest, and rear her 

 tender progeny. Wary exceedingly, the 

 Bald-pate, from his seat among the topmost 

 twigs, discerns the gunner, himself unseen, 

 and intimates his vicinity only by the rush- 

 ing of his strong wings, as he shoots off to 

 some distant part of the grove. In the 

 breeding season, however, when alarmed 

 from the nesting tree, he does not fly far, 

 and soon returns ; so that the sportsman, by 

 concealing himself, and watching the bird s 

 return, may bring him down. When the 

 pimento is out of season, he seeks other 

 food ; the berries of the sweet-wood, the 

 larger ones of the bread-nut, and burn-wood, 

 of the bastard cedar, and the fig, and the 

 little ruddy clusters of the fiddle-wood, at- 

 tract him. He feeds early in the morning, 

 and late in the afternoon : large numbers 

 resort to a single tree (though not strictly 

 gregarious), and when this is observed, the 

 sportsman, by going thither before dawn, 

 and lying in wait, may shoot them one by 

 one, as they arrive. In September and 

 October they are in fine condition, often 

 exceedingly fat and juicy, and of exquisite 

 flavour. In March the clammy-cherry dis- 

 plays its showy scarlet racemes, to which 

 the Bald-pates flock." "Late in the year 

 they resort to the saline morasses, to feed on 

 the seeds of the black mangrove, which I 

 have repeatedly found in the craw ; I have 

 even seen one descend to the ground beneath 

 a mangrove, doubtless in search of the fallen 

 seeds. In general, however, the Bald-pate 

 is an arboreal pigeon, his visits to the earth 

 being very rare. He often feeds at a dis- 

 tance from home ; so that it is a common 

 thing to observe, just before nightfall, 

 straggling parties of two or three, or indi- 



viduals, rushing along with arrowy swiftness 

 in a straight line to some distant wood. The 

 Bald-pate is a noble bird ; plump, yet of a 

 graceful form ; the iridescent scale-like 

 feathers of his neck, with their black 

 borders, are very striking : he is staid and 

 sedate in manners, when sitting, and there 

 is something of supercilious sternness in his 

 countenance, which, combined with his 

 snow-white head, always reminds me, strange 

 as the comparison may appear, of the grand 

 Bald Eagle. His coo is Sary-coat-blue, ut- 

 tered with much energy, the second syllable 

 short and suddenly elevated, the last a little 

 protracted and descending. Incubation 

 takes place chiefly in the months of June 

 and July. The nest is merely a very slight 

 platform of dry twigs, rudely attached, on 

 which two eggs are laid. They are of de- 

 licate whiteness, in form very regularly oval, 

 and in dimensions an inch and a half by 

 one-tenth. The length of the Bald-pate is 

 sixteen inches, expanse twenty-three inches 

 and a half. Irides cream-white ; eyelids 

 purplish flesh-colour. 



The WHITE-BELT.IED PIGEON (Peristera 

 Jamaicensis) is chiefly confined to the upland 

 districts ; where its loud and plaintive cooing 

 makes the woods resound. It is one of 

 those species which habitually live on the 

 ground : in unfrequented woods, as well 

 those which are open as those which are 

 choked with underwood, the White-belly 

 walks about singly or in pairs, picking up 

 various seeds. Its flesh is generally es- 

 teemed ; it is white, juicy, and well-fla- 

 voured, without being liable to bitterness. 

 " If flushed, it betakes itself to a low tree 

 not far off, whence, if unmolested, it is soon 

 down again. Of ten, when seen in the woods, 

 it runs a few yards, and then rises to fly, but 

 as if trusting less to its powers of flight than 

 to those of running, alights again imme- 

 diately, and runs swiftly off among the 

 bushes. It has no regular roosting-place, 

 often spending the night on a stone, or a log, 

 or a low bush that happens to be near the 

 spot where it was feeding at nightfall. This 

 is not the case with the other Doves. The 

 aspect and air of the White-belly are unlike 

 those of its kindred. Its round head, the 

 prevalence of light hues, and its height upon 

 the legs, contribute to this peculiarity. Es- 

 sentially a ground-pigeon, its length of 

 tarsus enables it to run with ease and ce- 

 lerity ; perhaps more rapidly than any other 

 of the family." It is nearly thirteen inches 

 in length, and nineteen in expanse : feet 

 crimson : beak black : forehead pure white, 

 becoming slate blue on crown ; hind-head 

 delicate gray-blue ; neck reddish-brown, 

 changing to amethyst, the lowest feathers 

 brilliant green and purple. Back, wing- 

 coverts, and uropygials dusky-brown, with 

 slight reflexions. Wing-q "' 

 the outer edge narrowly 

 part of inner webs chestnut ; true tail- 

 feathers blue-gray, with white tips. Under 

 parts pure white, tinged with flesh-colour 

 on breast : inner surface of wings chestnut. 

 Eyelids bluish, the edges and angles dark 

 lake. The White-belly usually builds in 



rgials dusky-brown, with 

 Wing-quills deep brown, 

 arrow ly white, the basal 



