THE WILD PIGEON. 373 



SUB-ORDER COLUMB^. 



The basal portion of the bill covered by a soft skin, in which are situated the 

 nostrils, overhung by an incumbent fleshy valve, the apical portion hard and con- 

 vex; the hind toe on the same level with the rest; the anterior toe without mem- 

 brane at the base; tarsi more or less naked; covered laterally and behind with 

 hexagonal scales. 



Family COLUMBID^. The Doves. 



Bill homy at the tip; tail feathers twelve, only occasionally fourteen; head 

 smooth. 



Sub-Family Columbine. 



Tarsi stout, short, with transverse scutellse anteriorly; feathered for the basal 

 third above, but not at all behind ; toes lengthened, the lateral decidedly longer than 

 the tarsus ; wings lengthened and pointed ; size large ; tail feathers twelve. 



This section of doves embraces the largest North-American species, and among 

 them the more arboreal ones. 



ECTOPISTES, SwAiNSON. 



Ectopistes, SwAiNSON, Zool. Jour., III. (1827) 362. (Type Columba migratoria, L.) 



Head very small ; bill short, black ; culmen one-third the rest of the head ; tarsi 



ver^' short, half covered anteriorly by feathers ; inner lateral claw much larger than 



outer, reaching to the base of the middle one; tail very long and excessively 



cuneate; about as long as the wings; tirst primary longest. 



This genus is readily distinguished from the other Columbinm by the excessively 

 lengthened and acute middle feathers. It formerly included the Columba Caroli- 

 nensis; but this, with more proprietj', has been erected into a different genus, and 

 will be found in the next section. 



ECTOPISTES MlGRkTORlA. — Swainsm. 



The Wild Pigeon; Passenger Pigeon. 



Columba migratoria, LinnsEus. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 285. Wils. Am. Om., I 

 (1808) 102. Aud. Om. Biog., I. (1831) 319; V. 561. 



Ectopistes migratoria, Swainson. Zool. Jour., III. (1827) 355. 



Description. 

 Tail with twelve feathers ; upper parts generally, including sides of body, head, 

 and neck, and the chin, blue ; beneath, purple brownish-red, fading behind with a 



