THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON 



The adult Ring Dove has the general colour of the 

 upper parts pale slate-grey, with a metallic sheen of purple 

 and green on the neck ; on each side of the neck is a scaly 

 patch of yellowish white feathers ; the mantle, scapulars 

 and innermost secondaries are greyish brown ; the outer 

 web of some of the wing-coverts is white ; the wings are 

 dark brown margined with white ; the tail is dark brown, 

 with a broad sub-terminal band of grey ; the throat is 

 lavender-grey, the breast lilac-grey, the abdomen, flanks, 

 and under tail-coverts lavender-grey. Bill reddish orange 

 at the base, yellow at the tip ; tarsi and toes pinkish red ; 

 irides pale yellow. Length 16 inches. The first plumage 

 somewhat closely resembles the adult, but is browner, and 

 the white patches on the neck are absent. The nestling 

 is slate-grey, covered with straw-coloured hairy down. 



