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 tields 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 doubtle&s 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 concernine; the 



other Species. . ... 



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 agg 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 agg 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 



Columha 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 Cohimbince in having the sexes often very dissimilar in plumage. 



