THE PIGEONS. 



J73 



India (Columba livia and intermedia), the only other 

 domesticated Pigeon is kept in India. Doves are known 

 as Fakhta in Hindustani and Ghughu in Bengali. 



THE COLLARED TURTLE-DOVE OR TAME RING-DOVE 

 (Turtur risorius).* The wild stock of this very well-known 

 pet bird appear to be the Turtur roseogriseus of North- 

 East Africa. It is a graceful, rather long- tailed, bird, 

 about a foot in length, of a pale delicate fawn colour, 

 with a black crescent on the back of the neck, and the root 

 half of the tail-feathers black underneath ; the tips of 

 all but the centre tail-feathers are white, and the pinion- 

 quills drab. The eye is deep red with white eyelids, 

 and the legs crimson in old birds and light pink in, 

 young ones, which have hardly any collar, and noticeably 

 dull and cloudy-looking plumage. There is a pure white 

 variety, in which the eye is yellow with a red pupil, and 

 the beak flesh-coloured instead of black. Now and then 

 also, birds may be seen of a paler fawn than usual, with 

 drab instead of black on the neck and under the tail, 

 and white pinion-quills and side tail-feathers. These 

 would appear to be a cross between the white and colour- 

 ed varieties, and Mr. Ezra tells me he has bred similar 

 birds in this way. But in a case where Mr. J. Bathgate 

 crossed a young fawn male with an older white hen, the 

 young were ordinary fawn-coloured birds. This dove 

 does well either in a cage or in an aviary, but, like all 

 Doves, can only take proper exercise and show itself off 

 in a large space. In either case, it breeds more freely 

 than any other cage-bird, keeping on laying and rearing 

 young continually. 



