472 THE WILD ROCK PIGEON. 



wings, one on the six inner secondary quills, the other on the 

 secondary coverts ; bill brownish black. Female similar, but with 

 the green and purple of the neck less extended. 



" Occurs abundantly in the Hebrides, Shetland, and Orkney 

 Islands, and along the rocky shores of the northern parts of Scot- 

 land ; less plentifully here and there, on the coasts of other parts 

 of Britain, as well as in Ireland. It resides in caves and crevices 

 of rocks ; feeds in the pastures and fields on seeds of various 

 kinds ; has a very rapid night, walks gracefully and with celerity ; 

 is gregarious in winter and spring, and breeds several times each 

 year. The male struts and cooes like the Domestic Pigeon. The 

 nest, rudely composed of small twigs, grass, and other materials, 

 is placed on a sheltered part of the rocks. The eggs, always two, 

 elliptical, pure white, glossy, measure an inch and seven- twelfths 

 in length, an inch and two-twelfths in breadth. Young birds, 

 taken from the nest, are easily reared, and become domestic ; tame 

 Pigeons sometimes associate with the wild individuals ; and be- 

 coming wild, and resorting to the rocks or to old buildings, gra- 

 dually assume the appearance of the Wild Hock Doves. The 

 flesh of this bird is superior to that of the Wood Pigeon, but 

 generally more tough." 



"The Rock Dove," says YAEEELL, "as a species distinct from 

 the Stock Dove, was called Columba Livia, on account of its 

 lighter or more livid blue colour ; the pure white on the lower 

 part of the back ; the two conspicuous black bars across the 

 wings ; the voice, in conjunction with its habits, so opposite to 

 those of the Stock Dove, are sufficient proofs of distinction, and 

 accordingly, the Rock Dove is not only admitted as a good 

 species, but from several other circumstances, there appears no 

 reason to doubt that the Hock Dove is also the species from which 

 our Domestic Pigeons were originally derived." 



The same author informs us that this bird has a very extensive 

 geographical range, being found as far north as the Faroe Islands, 

 and southward at Teneriffe, Madeira, over North America, in- 

 habiting some of the rocky islands in the Mediterranean, and 

 eastward as far as Greece. PENNANT, in his Arctic Zoology, 

 says that it goes as far east as Lake Bakal; and TEMMINCK 

 mentions, that skins received from Japan do not differ in any 

 respect from those of Europe and of Africa. 



The whole length of this bird is about eleven inches and a half. 

 From the carpel joint to the end of the wing eight inches ; the 

 first quill feathers considerably longer than the fourth, but a little 

 shorter than the second and the third, which are nearly equal in 

 length, and the longest in the wing. 



Of the Domestic Pigeons, in their several varieties, much might 



