VARIOOUS DOVES. . 379 
from Peninsular India, in which the plumage is vinous red; the lower back, rump, 
and flanks grey; the head, under wing-coverts, lower abdomen, and under tail-coverts 
similarly coloured but paler; the outer wing-coverts darker, the chin whitish, 
the vinous red upper-parts separated from the grey of the head by a black collar 
on the hind-neck ; and the quills blackish with pale edges. A nearly allied form (7. 
humilis) from the Indo-Chinese countries, is distinguished by having the under 
wing-coverts much darker and of a grey colour. In Tenasserim it is found in 
larger or smaller flocks, very wild and difficult to approach, and keeping to the thin 
tree and bamboo-jungle. These flocks were met with in the vicinity of cultivated 
land, feeding on the ground, and when disturbed rose together and settled on the 
same tree, sometimes a leafless one, sometimes one with plenty of foliage. 
The three species of turtle-dove constituting the fourth group (Spilopelia) are 
distinguished by having the feathers of the hind-neck forked at the extremity, and 
black ornamented with two white spots at the tip. The Burmo-Malayan species 
(T. tigrinus), recognised by the dark brown shaft-line on the wing-coverts, is the 
common dove of Tenasserim, and is met with in gardens, fields, and grassy land ; 
in fact, wherever the country is open, but not in the forest or on the higher hills. 
It is sometimes seen singly, or in pairs, at other times in small flocks or in hundreds. 
The last group (Stigmatopelia) includes two species which may be recognised by 
having the feathers of the fore-neck forked at the extremity, and black with two 
rufous spots at the end. They have a wide range, the Senegal turtle-dove (7. 
senegalensis) being found all over Africa, while the brown turtle-dove (7. cam- 
bayensis) ranges from Asia Minor to Central India. The former is characterised by 
the plumage of the upper-parts being more or less reddish, and the rump bluish grey. 
The subfamily Geopeliinw contains three genera, with a few small species from 
both the Old and New Worlds, and is characterised by the short rounded wings, 
a rather long tail of fourteen feathers, and no metallic tint on the sides of the neck 
or elsewhere. The Old World forms belong to the typical Geopelia, ranging from 
Burma to Australia, and have the first quill-feather pointed at the extremity. The 
American genus, Scardafella, includes two doves about the size of sparrows, with 
the first flight-feathers normal, and the tail of twelve feathers; the Inca dove (8. 
inca) from the South-Western, North, and Central America being a well-known 
example. But a single species (Gymmnopelia erythrothorax) is included in the last 
genus, distinguished by the large naked patch surrounding the eye. 
The six American genera of the subfamily Peristerinw are 
characterised by their small size and the general uniform coloration of 
the plumage; the wings being, as a rule, ornamented with metallic spots, and rather 
short and rounded, while the primaries are not much longer than the secondaries. 
In five genera the tail is rather longer than half the length of the wing; while 
the two last may be distinguished by having the first primary pointed at its 
extremity. The picui dove (Columbula picui), the only representative of the first 
genus, is peculiar in having a steel-blue band across the wing, and by the middle 
and outer pairs of tail-feathers being shorter than the intermediate ones. Found 
only in South America, it is the smallest dove of Argentina where it is a resident, 
frequenting the neighbourhood of houses; and its song, consisting of a succession 
of long, rather loud and somewhat monotonous notes, may often be heard in 
American Genera. 
