COLUMB^E 



DOVES AND PIGEONS. 



HE large order of Columb.e, or the Pigeon tribe, comes now nnder 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, snitable 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 Pigeons, birds which need careful examination to be recognized 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 colors 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 magnifi- 

 cent of the feathered tribes, their plumage being imbued with the richest colors, 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 appearance of a knob. Towards the end of the breeding season, the knob 

 becomes smaller, and is gradually absorbed, leaving the bill in its former flattened condi- 

 tion. 



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

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

 bird most favors is the soft covering of the nutmeg, popularly known as "mace," and the 

 flavor which this aromatic food imparts to the flesh is so peculiarly delicate, that the Oceanic 



