43 ' The Plover-like Birds 



Very closely allied to the last is GLnopopelia, a genus of two species which 

 differ in the much longer wing and the more marked dissimilarity between the 

 sexes. Perhaps the best-known is the Red Turtle Dove (O. humilis) of the Indo- 

 Chinese countries, Japan, and the Philippines, a bird about nine inches long, 

 in which the plumage is vinous red, marked on head, back, rump, and flanks with 

 gray, paler on the forehead, while there is a black collar on the hind neck and the 

 wings, and their coverts are blackish. The female is pale brown, grayer than 

 the male, and the collar is paler edged. The remaining species, known as the 

 Tranquebar Dove (O. tranquebarica}, is found in the Indian peninsula and 

 differs in the much lighter, almost ashy white, color of the under wing-coverts. 

 The former is a not uncommon bird in many parts of India, exclusive of the forest 

 tracts, and is found often in small flocks near cultivated areas. It is described 

 as wild and difficult to approach, and as having a short, deep call note. 



Spotted Doves. The three species of the genus Spilopelia, known collec- 

 tively as the Spotted Doves, are distinguished at once by having the feathers of 

 the hind neck forked at the ends, black in color, and each marked with two white 

 apical spots. Of these the Chinese Spotted Dove (S. chinensis} of China and 

 Formosa is about thirteen inches long, pale brown above and rich vinous below, 

 lighter on the chin and abdomen, and gray on the head, sides, and under wing- 

 coverts, while the nape is black with white spots, and the two central tail-feathers 

 are brown, and tne others black, tipped with gray or white. In the Malayan 

 Spotted Dove (5. tigrina] of the Burmo-Malayan countries and the Celebes, the 

 under tail-coverts are white instead of gray, and the wing-coverts are marked with 

 brown shaft-lines. In the last species (S. suratensis) the under tail-coverts are 

 marked with two reddish spots on the sides of the tip. It is a native of the Indian 

 peninsula and Ceylon, frequenting the well-wooded districts, and often coming 

 into gardens about houses. It breeds almost throughout the year, though in 

 northern India the principal season for laying eggs is from October ^to May. It 

 has a plaintive call of three syllables. The habits of the others are similar. 



In the final genus (Stigmatopelia), which also embraces three species, the 

 curiously forked feathers are confined to the front neck and are marked at the tip 

 with two rufous spots. Of these the Senegal Turtle Dove (S. senegalensis] is a 

 handsome bird about eleven inches long, with the upper parts, including the head, 

 neck, and breast rich vinous, becoming white on the abdomen and bluish lead- 

 color on the rump. It is a very widely distributed species, ranging over the whole 

 of Africa and extending thence into Palestine. The second species, known as the 

 Little Brown Turtle Dove (S. cambayensis] is also widely spread from southeastern 

 Europe through central Asia to the Indian peninsula. It is similar to the last, 

 but has the upper parts earthy brown and the rump uniform in color with the 

 back. It is a very common bird throughout almost the whole of peninsular India, 

 occurring about houses and in the dense bush jungles as well. It breeds through- 

 out the year, placing the nest in shrubs, low trees, buildings, or on the ground. 



Australian Doves. In the next group (Geopeliince), which includes three 

 genera and some nine forms and is found in both Old and New Worlds, the 

 members agree with the last in the absence of metallic spots on the wings, but 



