Pigeons of Ancient Italy. 219 



dove ; it is still found in small numbers passing 

 the summer and breeding in Italy, and is most 

 frequent in the sub-alpine region of which Virgil 

 is here writing. But what bird is here meant by 

 palumbes ? Both this word and its near relative 

 columba must be translated by pigeon, but can we 

 distinguish them as different species ? Here the 

 commentaries and dictionaries give us no sub- 

 stantial help, and I may be pardoned for pausing 

 a moment to consider a question of some interest 

 to historical ornithologists. 



There are at the present day three kinds of 

 pigeons beside the turtle-dove just mentioned, 

 which are found in Italy ; they are the same three 

 which we know in England as the Wood-pigeon 

 or Ring-dove, the Stock-dove, and the Rock-dove 

 or Blue-rock. Of these the last, which with us 

 is the rarest, only found on certain parts of our 

 coast, is by far the most abundant in Italy, and is 

 the only one which habitually breeds there. The 

 other two species pass over Italy in spring and 

 autumn regularly, but seldom or never stay there ; 

 they go northwards in the spring from Africa and 

 the East, and return again in the autumn after 



