40 COLTJMBID^E. 



The true Doves are represented by seven species in British India, 

 and some of these are amongst the commonest and best-known 

 birds of the country. They have the flight of Pigeons, but are 

 less gregarious, and they feed on the ground almost entirely on 

 grain and other seeds. As a rule they are chiefly found in open 

 and cultivated country. They breed on low trees and bushes and 

 make a slight nest of the usual type, consisting of thin twigs or 

 grass, arranged in a kind of platform, so loose and disconnected 

 that the eggs can generally be seen from below. The eggs are 

 always two in number, white and glossy. 



This genus contains nearly 30 species spread over Europe, Asia, 

 and Africa. 



Fig. 8. Sole of foot of T. surafensis. }. 



Keif to the Species. 



a. A patch of black feathers with white or grey 



tips on each side of the neck. 

 a'. Tips to black neck-patch grey. 



a". No white on abdomen; under tail-coverts 



and tips of tail-feathers slaty grey . . T. orientalis, p. 40. 

 b". Middle of abdomen, under tail-coverts, 



and tips of tail-feathers white or whitish. T.ferrago, p. 41. 

 b'. Tips to black neck-patch white T. communis, p. 42. 



b. A collar of bUck feathers, each ending in two 



white spots, round back of neck. 



c'. Back distinctly spotted with rufou? T. suratensis, p. 4.'). 



d' . Back indistinctly or not spotted T. tiyrinws, p. 44. 



A collar of black feathers with ferruginous 



tips round front of neck T. cambnyetisis, p. 4-~>. 



. A black collar without white tips round back 



of neck T. risorms, p. 40. 



1304. Turtur orientalis. The llvfous Turtle-Dove. 



Colutnba orientalis, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii, p. COG (1790). 



Columba rupicola, Pall. Zooyr. Rosso-Asiat. i, p. 506 (1811). 



Columba meena, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 149. 



Columba agricola, Tickell, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 581 (1833). 



Columba gelastis, Temm. PI, Col. pi. 550 (1835). 



Turtur meena, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 875 ; Jcrdon, B. I. iii, 



p. 476; Beavan, Ibis, 1868, p. 375; Godw.-Anst. J. A. S. B. 



xxxix, pt. 2, p. 272; xlv, pt. 2, p. 83; Hume, Ibis, 1870, p. 438 ; 



id. Lah. to Yark. p. 277 ; id. N. $ E. p. 501 ; id. S. F. iii, p. 163 ; 



Bh th $ Wald. Birds Bunn. p. 146 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 262 ; 



Butler, ibid. p. 420; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 292 ; Swinh. $ Barnes, 



