THE OCEANIC FEUIT PIGEOK 575 



Sometimes the colour varies from these tints, and a white specimen may occasionally 

 be found. Yearling birds of both sexes are hair-brown above, barred profusely with 

 brownish red ; the quill-feathers of the wing are reddish brown, barred with white, while 

 those of the tail are of the same dark tinge, but without the white bars, and spotted with 

 white along the centre of the feathers. The whole of the under portions of the body are 

 grey-white, barred with brown, and the short tail is tipped with white. A little white 

 also appears on the tips of some of the feathers on the upper surface of the body. 

 The total length of the adult bird is about fourteen inches. The female is ratliei 

 smaller than her mate, and on her first arrival in England may be distinguished from the 

 opposite sex by the brown bars upon her neck, and the brown tinge upon the back 

 and wings. 



COLUMB^; OE, DOVES AND PIGEONS. 



The large order of CoLUMB.iE, or the Pigeon tribe, comes now under our notice. It 

 contains very many beautiful and interesting birds ; but as its members are so extremely 

 numerous, only a few typical examples can be mentioned in these pages. 



All the Pigeons may be distinguished from the poultry, and the gallinaceous birds in 

 general, by the form of the bill, which is arched towards the tip, and has a convex 

 swelling at the base, caused by a gristly kind of plate which covers the nasal cavities, and 

 which in some species is very curiously developed. In order to enable the parent birds to 

 feed their young, the gullet swells into a double crop, furnished with certain large glands 

 during the breeding season, which mingle their secretions with the food, and soften it, so 

 that when the bird throws up the food after its fashion, to feed its young, the whole mass 

 has acquired a soft and pulpy consistence, suitable to the delicate digestive powers of the 

 tender young. Other peculiarities of form will be found in the appendix to this volume. 



In their habits, the Pigeons greatly resemble each other, mostly haunting trees, but 

 sometimes preferring the soil as a hunting-ground. Generally, the family likeness between 

 the Pigeons is sufficiently strong to enable even a novice to know a Pigeon when he sees 

 it ; but there are one or two remarkable exceptions to this rule, such as the Dodo and the 

 Tooth-billed Pigeon, birds which need careful examination to be recognised as belonging 

 to the present order. 



The powers of wing are generally very great, the Pigeons being proverbially swift and 

 enduring ; but even this rule has its exceptions. They are found in almost all parts of the 

 globe, being most plentiful in the warmer regions. In this country the colours of the 

 Pigeons, although soft and pleasing, and in some portions of the bird, such as the neck, 

 glowing with a changeful beauty, are not particularly striking for depth or brilliancy. But 

 in the hotter regions of the world, especially towards the tropics, the Pigeons are among 

 the most magnificent of the feathered tribes, their plumage being imbued with the richest 

 colours, and often assuming very elegant forms. 



Our first example of this order is the Oceanic Fruit Pigeon. 



The whole of the birds belonging to the genus Carpophaga are notable for the curious 

 knob that is found upon the base of the upper mandible, and which only makes its 

 appearance during the breeding season. During the rest of the year, the base of the beak 

 is more flattened than is generally the case with the Pigeons ; but as soon as the breeding 

 season approaches, a little swelling is observable in this part, which rapidly grows larger, 

 until it assumes the aspect shown in the engraving. Towards the end of the breeding 

 season, the knob becomes smaller, and is gradually absorbed, leaving the bill in its former 

 flattened condition. 



This species is found in the Pelew and neighbouring islands, and is a forest-loving 

 bird, taking up its residence in the woods, where it finds abundance of food. The diet 



