114 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. 



northerly counties afford convenient retreats for one of the 

 most widely distributed of the pigeon family. 



The Rock Dove is undoubtedly the founder of the 

 almost numberless varieties of tame pigeons with which 

 our poultry-yards abound. In speaking of this fact, Morris 

 observes, " If you look at each and every one of the pigeons 

 that fly about the barn and fold-yard, or rise in a flock 

 from the open field, or are hung up in the poulterer's shop 

 in the narrowest streets of London, you will see that almost 

 every individual bird, let the varied colours of its plumage 

 be what they may, has a patch of white over the tail. This 

 will at once show you that it must derive its origin from 

 the species at present before us, and not, as naturally might 

 be supposed, from the common wild pigeon of the woods/' 



The length of the Rock Dove is about thirteen inches ; 

 bill dullish-brown slightly tinged with yellow, much flat- 

 tened about the middle. Iris, pale orange ; head, crown, 

 and back of neck, bluish-grey ; sides of neck beautifully 

 glossed with sheeny reflections of purply-red and green ; 

 chin, bluish- grey ; throat, purple and green according to 

 the light; breast and back, light bluish-grey, and white 

 on the rump. 



The wings measure twenty-five or twenty-six inches 

 when expanded ; they are of a dull bluish-grey, with two 

 conspicuous bands of black ; under wing-coverts are white. 

 The tail is bluish-grey, tipped at the end with a band of 

 black about an inch in depth. The legs and toes are red 

 and scaled on the front and upper parts ; claws, a brownish- 

 black. The female is less bright in colour than the male, 

 and the bands on wings and tail are browner, but the sexes 

 are not easily distinguished. The feathers are very loosely 

 set, and are easily pulled out. 



