COLUMBINJE. COLUMBA. 227 



rises again, and performs various gambols. The cry of this 

 species resembles the syllables coo-roo-coo-coo, the two last 

 protracted. Its flight is strong, light, and rapid. As an arti- 

 cle of food it is not much esteemed. Attempts to domesticate 

 this species have never proved successful. 



Ring Dove. Wood Pigeon. Cushat, Quest, or Cushie. 



Columba Palumbus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 282. Columba 

 Palumbus, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. i. 444. Columba Palum- 

 bus, Ringed Dove or Cushat, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, i. 

 259. 



147. COLUMBA CENAS. BLUE-BACKED OR STOCK DOVE. 



Plumage of the male greyish-blue ; the sides and back of 

 the neck splendent with green and purplish-red, the lower 

 part brownish purple-red, or vinaceous ; back and lower wing- 

 coverts blue ; two short bands of black on the wing, one being 

 on the three inner secondary quills, the other on three of the 

 secondary coverts ; bill light brown. Female similar, but 

 with the green of the neck less extended, the purplish-red 

 paler. 



Male, 14, 26, 9J, tf, 1 T \, I/*, T V Female. 13, 26. 



This species, which is about the same size as the Rock 

 Dove, but from which it is distinguished by having the rump 

 blue, in place of being white, occurs in various parts of Eng- 

 land, residing in woods, and searching the fields for seeds and 

 other vegetable substances. Mr Salmon states, that in the 

 neighbourhood of Thetford, in Norfolk, it breeds in rabbit- 

 burrows. Others inform us that it usually nestles in a hole 

 of a decayed tree, or on a stump or pollard. This and the 

 next species were very generally confounded by the older 

 writers, and the present was held to be the original of our 

 domestic pigeons, for which reason it was called Stock Dove ; 

 others say it obtained that name because it breeds on stocks. 



Stock Dove. Wood Dove. 



Columba OEnas, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. ii. 445. Columba 

 CEnas, Blue-backed Dove, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, i. 287. 



148. COLUMBA LIVIA. WHITE-BACKED OR ROCK DOVE. 



Plumage of the male light greyish-blue ; the neck splen- 

 dent with green and purplish-red ; the middle of the back and 

 the lower wing-coverts white ; two black bands on the wing, 

 one on the six inner secondary quills, the other on the secon- 

 dary coverts ; bill brownish-black. Female similar, but with 

 the green and purple of the neck less extended. 



