MERGUSSPHENOCERC US COL UMEA 6 3 9 



In habits it resembles M. serrator, but appears to frequent 

 fresh water more than that species. It is also an expert diver r 

 and feeds on small fish, aquatic insects, small frogs, etc. It 

 breeds in hollow trees, lining the nest hollow with down, and in 

 June deposits 6 to 8 eggs, which resemble those of the Wigeon, 

 but are much more polished in surface of shell, and measure 

 about 2-05 by 1-48. 



SPHENOCERCITS, G. R. Gray, 1840. 



882. SIEBOLD'S GREEN PIGEON. 

 SPHENOCERCUS SIEBOLDI. 



Sphenocercus sieboldi (Temm.), PI. col. pi. 549 (1835) ; (Ternm. and 

 Schlegel), Faun. Jap. Aves, p. 102, pi. 60D ; (Seebohm), B. Jap. 

 Emp. p. 163 ; Salvador!, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxi. p. 12. 



Awo-lato, Jap. 



ad. (Japan). Head, neck, and entire breast bright apple -yellow, the 

 crown, nape, and hind neck washed with green ; upper parts generally 

 dark parrot-green, the fore part of the back slaty bluish ; wing-coverts 

 maroon-red ; larger coverts and quills, which are dark slate, margined 

 with yellowish white ; outer tail-feathers dark slate, the middle ones like 

 the back ; under parts white with a yellowish tinge ; flanks dove-blue and 

 green ; under tail-coverts yellowish, with green along the middle. Culmen 

 0'82, wing 7'3, tail 4'75, tarsus I'O inch. The female has the yellow 

 portions of the plumage greener, and lacks the maroon-red on the wings. 



Hob. Japan only, a summer visitant in the north, resident in 

 the south. 



In habits it is said to be exceedingly shy, and frequents the 

 moderately high bluffs near the sea-shore, on the sands of which 

 latter it frequently alights. Its note is a long and varied coo. 

 Respecting its nidification I find nothing on record. This 

 species is an insular form of S. sphenurus (Gray) which inhabits 

 the Himalayas. 



COLUMBA, Linn., 1766. 



883. ROCK-DOVE. 

 COLUMBA LIVIA. 



Columba livia, Bonn. Encycl. Method, i. p. 227 (1790) ; Naum. vi. 

 p. 186, Taf. 150 ; Hewitson, i. p. 274, pi. Ixvii. fig. 3 ; Gould, B. of 

 E. iv. pi. 245; id. B. of Gt. Brit. iv. pi. 3; Dresser, vii. pAll, 

 pi. 457 j Salvadori, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxi. p. 252 ; Blanf. F. Brit. 

 Ind. Birds, iv. p. 30 ; Saunders, p. 483 ; Lilford, iv. p. 89, pi. 41. 



