46 COLUMBIA. 



1310. Turtur risorius. The Indian Ring-Dove. 



Columba risoria, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. '285 (1766), partim. 



Turlur douraca, Hodys. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1844), descr. 

 nullti ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 430. 



Turtur risorius, Blyth, Cat. p. 235; id. J. A. S. B. xxiv, p. 261; 

 Jerdon, B. I. in, p. 481 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 151 ; Stoliczka, 

 J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 67; xli, pt. 2, p. 248; Godw.-Aust. 

 J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 272; Hume, S. F. i, p. 218 ; Adam, 

 ibid. p. 390 ; Hume, N. fy E. p. 506 ; id. S. F. iii, p. 105 ; Walden 

 in Bli/th's Birds Burin, p. 146; Butler, S. F. iv, p. 3 ; vii, p. 171 ; 

 ix. p. '420; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p^262; v, p. 409; Ball, S. F. vii, 



). 458 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 60 ; Davison, ibid. p. 408 ; Swinhoe, Ibis, 

 1882, p. 118 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 293 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. 

 ii, p. 357 ; C. H. T. Marsh. Ibis, 1884, p. 421 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. 

 p. 291 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 299 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 174. 

 Turtur stoliczkse, Hume, S. F. ii, p. 519 (1874). 



The Common Ring-Dove, Jerdon : Dhorfakhta, Perki, Panduk, Guyi, H. ; 

 Kalhak, Kahalaki, Pankf/hugu, Beng. ; Pitha Hola, Mahr. ; Pedda-bella 

 guwa, Tel. ; Cally-prad, Tarn. (Ceylon). 



Coloration. Head and neck grey, tinged with lilac, paler on the 

 forehead and sides of head, and whitish on the chin ; a black 

 collar, narrowly bordered above and still more narrowly below with 

 white, round the hind neck ; upper parts thence to the tail and 

 middle tail-feathers light brown, passing into ashy grey on the 

 outer wing-coverts, greater secondary coverts, and secondaries ; 

 primary-quills dark brown ; outermost tail-feathers with the basal 

 half grey above, black beneath, the black running some distance 

 down the outer web, terminal half or rather less and narrow extreme 

 outer edge throughout white ; other tail-feathers, except median 

 pair, white at the ends, beneath partly white, partly greyish brown 

 above ; breast pale lilac, passing into ashy grey on the abdomen and 

 flanks and slaty grey on the lower tail-coverts ; wiog-lming white, 

 grey near the edge of the wing. 



Bill black ; irides crimson ; orbitnl skin whitish ; feet dark pink- 

 red (Jerdon); claws horn- colour (Oates). 



Length about 12'5 ; tail 5 ; wing 6'75 ; tarsus *9 ; bill from 

 gape -9. 



Distribution. Throughout India and Ceylon, in open and culti- 

 vated tracts and even in dry parts of the country, but not in 

 forest ; rare on the Malabar coastland. This Dove occurs, but is 

 not common, in Assam, Cachar, Upper Burma, and Pegu, but not 

 in Tenasserim. It is found in the open "Western Himalayas, but 

 not in the forest-clad ranges of Sikhim. It has been met with in 

 China and throughout Central and South-western Asia, and as far 

 west as Turkey in Europe. 



Habits, $c. As Jerdon observes, this Dove chiefly frequents 

 hedges and trees about cultivation and also low bush- or reed- 

 jungle. It is very common in many parts of the country, and is 

 almost or quite as familiar as T. cambayensis. The voice is rather 



