640 COLUMBA 



Colombe biset, French ; Pomba, Portug. ; Paloma silvestre, 

 Span. ; Piccione selvatico, Ital. ; Fclsentaube, German ; Klippedue, 

 Dan. and Norweg. ; Klippdufva, Swed. ; Kesykyyhkynen, Finn. ; 

 Golub, Russ. ; Hamam el Berri, Moor. ; Hamam, Arab. 



<J ad. (England). Head, neck, and upper parts slaty blue, the Lack 

 and wings paler, the head and neck darker and glossed with green ; lower 

 neck on sides and in front glossed with coppery purple ; two bands 

 across the wings, and terminal portion of tail black ; rump white ; 

 under parts dove-blue tinged with slate ; bill reddish brown ; legs reddish ; 

 iris orange. Culm en 0'8, wing 8'5, tail 4*6, tarsus 1'2 inch. Female 

 rather smaller and duller. 



Hob. The western Palsearctic area, north to the Faeroes, but 

 not found in Scandinavia or in many parts of Eastern Europe ; 

 North Africa ; Asia east to Afghanistan and Northern India. 



This, the original stock from which our tame Pigeons have 

 sprung, inhabits rocky localities on the sea-coast, and is numerous 

 in several parts of the rocky coasts of Britain. Its flight 

 is very swift, and performed with a whistling sound. Its note 

 is a coo-roo-coo quickly repeated, the last syllable prolonged ; 

 and its food consists of grain of various kinds, seeds of wild 

 plants, roots of grass, snails, etc. The nest is composed of 

 plant-stems and grass, and is placed on the shelf of a rock in a 

 cave, and two broods are usually reared in the year, one in 

 about April and the second in September. The eggs, like 

 those of all the Pigeons, are 2 in number, pure white, and 

 measure about 1*59 by 1*07. 



In Africa there are two forms which have been recognized 

 by Count Salvadori as species, C. gymnocyclus, Gray, from 

 Senegal, and C. schimperi, Bp., from Egypt, Nubia, and Pales- 

 tine, which are barely separable from C. lima. 



884. SUBSP. COLUMBA INTERMEDIA. 



Columla intermedia, Strickl. Ann. and Mag. N. H. xiii. p. 39 (1844) ; 

 David and Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 384 ; Gould, B. of A. vi. pi. 56 ; 

 Seebohm, B. Jap. E. p. 160 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 29 ; 

 Salvadori, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxi. p. 259. 



Kabutar, Hindu. ; Kawara-lato, Jap. 



ad. Differs from C. livia in having the rump slaty grey, not 

 white. 



Hob. Southern Persia, India, Ceylon, China, and Japan. 



Frequents rocks arid cliffs, old buildings, walls, &c., and is 

 found both inland as well as on the coasts. In general habits 



