372 PIGEONS AND SAND-GROUSE, 



band along the edge of the wing. Its range extends across Europe as far east as 

 Northern Persia, and it is also found in North- West Africa, the Azores, and Madeira. 

 The destruction of the larger birds of prey, as well as the extent of land devoted 

 to plantations and green crops, probably accounts for the vast increase in numbers 

 of this pigeon. That the countless swarms of these voracious birds in parts of the 

 country do an immense amount of damage, cannot be denied, but that much of 

 their food often consists of worthless seeds is a fact that may be easily ascertained 

 by examining the contents of their crops. Booth remarks that " shortly before 

 harvest wood-pigeons may often be seen flying in small parties to the fields of 

 wheat and barley ; after wheeling round for a time, the birds will disappear from 

 view into the standing corn. An examination of the state of the ground on which 

 they were lost sight of would doubtless cause astonishment to those who imagined 

 that the birds were in pursuit of grain ; on reaching the spot it would be discovered 

 that for a considerable space the crop was exceedingly scanty, completely choked, 

 in fact, by a mass of weed rank and strong, whose seeds, well-nigh ripe, had 

 proved the sole attraction. Immense flights of these birds arrive on the north-east 

 coast in October and November from the Continent, and about that time of year 

 large flocks, which have recently arrived exhausted by their long journey, may be 

 observed fluttering along the coast and about the fir plantations. In the London 

 parks it has now become one of the commonest birds, and is steadily increasing in 

 numbers, many pairs breeding each year." 



Some remarkable statements have been made concerning the 

 habits of the band-tailed pigeon (C. fasciata), which somewhat 

 resembles the common wood-pigeon in having a narrow white band or half -collar 

 on the nape, and is found in the Western States of North as well as in Central 

 America. In Oregon it sometimes breeds on the ground, and the normal number 

 of two eggs are laid ; but in Arizona, where it appears to nest in nearly every 

 month of the year but a single egg is laid. Mr. O. C. Poling has ascertained that 

 this bird is often in the habit of carrying off its eggs when frightened from its 

 nest. He remarks that " in regard to their carrying the egg about, I have, in 

 addition to the cases noted, shot two other females having the egg imbedded in the 

 feathers of the belly, and further held by the legs while flying ; but in such cases 

 they seem simply to alight on the limb of a spruce, and incubate there without any 

 nest. This accounts for the shooting of pigeons having a broken egg smeared over 

 the feathers, as I have done, when no nest was to be seen." Some of the species of 

 Columba found in the islands of the Pacific are more brilliant in colouring, and 

 among these may be mentioned C. albigularis of New Guinea, in which the 

 plumage is blackish slate-colour, with the edges of the feathers metallic purple 

 changing into green, and the cheeks and throat white. The third genus, 

 Nescenas, with one species (N. meyeri) from Mauritius, is distinguished by having 

 the first flight-feather equal to the sixth. The plumage is pale pink, darker on 

 the mantle, and shading into brown on the back and wings, while the tail is 

 uniform cinnamon-colour. The last genus, Turturcena, contains five of the smallest 

 species of this group, not exceeding the common dove in size, with the hind-neck 

 brilliantly ornamented with metallic colours. They inhabit Africa, and differ from 

 other Columbince in having the sexes often very dissimilar in plumage. 



