CLASS 11. AVES: ORDER 4. COLUMB^. 



227 



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THE GOURA CROWNED PIGEON. 



cavities of which it lives a great part of the year. It is widely distributed, and like all the pre- 

 ceding species, is common in Europe and Asia. From this the Domestic or House Pigeon is de- 

 rived, this being now cultivated in nearly all parts of the world, and especially in eastern coun- 

 tries — Egypt, Persia, (fcc. Its prolificness is marvelous ;. it is said that one pair may produce four- 

 teen thousand seven hundred and sixty young, in four years. The varieties which have been pro- 

 duced from this species are almost endless ; we may, however, enumerate the following : 



The Monk is a crested pigeon. The head and crest are white; the rest of the body yellow, 

 red, blue, or black. The Shield-Pigeon is only occasionally crested. The plumage is white, with 

 the exception of the scapulars, wing-coverts, and hinder pen-feathers, which are yellow, red, blue, 

 black, or silvery-gray. The Swallow-Pigeon is pure white, except the wings and a round spot on 

 the top of the head, which are yellow, red, blue, black, or silveiy-gray. It sometimes has a crest. 

 The Striped Monk is black, with a white poll, and white stripes across the wings. The White- 

 Head is like the monk in every respect, except in having a white tail. The Marked Pigeon is 

 white, with the exception of a small streak on the forehead, and another on the tail, which are 

 dark red, or almost black. The Starling-necked Pigeon is blackish-blue, with white stripes across 

 the wings, and a narrow white streak on the breast. The Veiled Dove is white, with the exception 

 of the head, neck, and foremost pen-feathers, which are black, red, or yellow. The Strijjed Star- 

 ling-necked White-Head is the handsomest of all. It is black, with a white poll and tail, and 

 white stripes on the wings and breast. 



There are besides these, many other varieties of the domestic pigeon, which, however, are said 

 by some naturalists not to be originally derived from the wild rock-pigeon, but to be themselves 

 indigenous in different parts of the world. Among these are the Trumpeter-Pigeon^ so called from 

 its peculiar cooing ; it is crested, and generally has its feet covered with feathers. It is met with 



