Turtle Doves 429 



space on the sides of the neck composed of black feathers tipped with white, 

 while the primaries are dusky, the secondaries bluish ash, and the shoulders 

 and wing-coverts rust-red, each feather with a black spot near the center. The 

 sexes are similar, although the plumage in the female is a little less bright and 

 pure. In England, where it is a not uncommon bird, it is described by Mr. 

 Hudson as inhabiting woods and plantations, and as being of a rather shy dis- 

 position is not often noticed. "In autumn," he says, "it may be seen in small 

 companies, usually composed of a pair of old birds and their young; at other 

 times it goes alone with its mate." Its spring song is described as a soft, agree- 

 able, rather plaintive cooing note. The nest, the usual slight structure, is placed 

 in a low tree or hedge, and the creamy white eggs are two in number ; two broods 

 are usually reared in a season and in September it departs for its African winter 

 home. 



Of the other species we may mention the Rufous Turtle Dove (T. orientalis), 

 a resident species ranging from the eastern Himalayas throughout Assam and 

 Burma to northern Tenasserim, Korea, and Japan, and the Indian Turtle Dove 

 (T. ferrago), a migratory bird ranging from southwestern Siberia to central 

 Asia, India, and Ceylon. The latter breeds in the Himalayas at elevations of 

 from 4000 to 8000 feet, placing the frail nest in a tree. 



In the genus Homopelia, which is confined to Madagascar and the neigh- 

 boring islands, there are seven living, and a single fossil, species, the latter 

 from the Pleistocene of Rodriguez. They are distinguished from the true Turtle 

 Doves by having the upper wing-coverts uniform or not mottled. As the habits 

 of these birds are not well known, we may pass to the next genus (Streptopelia), 

 which is distinguished at once by the presence of a complete black collar on the 

 hind neck. The fourteen species now recognized are widely dispersed over 

 Africa, southeastern Europe, central Asia, and the Oriental region. The tame 

 Turtle Dove (S. risoria) belongs here, but the species from which it has been 

 derived is uncertain, according to Salvadori. To convey some idea of the various 

 species we may mention first the Damara Dove (S. damarensis] of Southwest 

 and East Africa. About ten inches in length, it is mostly pale leaden gray, be- 

 coming pale vinous gray on the sides of the head, neck, and chest. It is the most 

 abundant Dove in Damara Land and adjacent regions, feeding on the ground 

 on seeds and berries, and although not strictly gregarious, numbers are often 

 found in close proximity. The nest is built on a small tree, generally at the 

 extremity of a bough. Another species is the Indian Ring Dove (S. douraca), 

 a large bird some twelve and a half inches long, which is found from Turkey 

 in Europe through Persia, the Indian peninsula, and Burma to China and 

 Japan. The head, neck, and breast are pale pink or vinous, becoming white on 

 the chin; the black collar is narrowly bordered above and below with white, 

 while the back and the middle tail-feathers are a light brown, becoming ashy 

 gray on the coverts and secondaries. This is a common bird in many parts of 

 India, frequenting hedges and trees about cultivated tracts as well as bush or 

 reed jungles. It has a deep, trisyllabic call note, and breeds the year around, 

 placing the nest in bushes or trees not far from the ground. 



