TUBTUB GELASTIS. 109 



feathers, and upper parts; the under parts are brighter than in C. 

 turtur, and the lower breast is of a clear vinous reddish, without 

 the yellowish tint; round the neck and upj^er part of the breast 

 there is less brownish, and more vinous reddish grey colouring. 

 The under tail coverts and the tips of the tail feathers are in all 

 our specimens grey, and certainly in spring of a somewhat darker 

 bluish ash grey; in the latter part of summer, on the contrary, they 

 are shaded into a greyish white. 



'^We also find in the young of T. gelastis the characteristic 

 markings of T. turtur, namely, white on the tail and under tail 

 coverts passing into grey, and on the belly into vinous red. Besides 

 this T. gelastis has all the distinctive marks of the young Turtle 

 Dove, especially on the throat and crop down to the breast, where 

 the colour is grey brown, with rusty yellow edges to the feathers, 

 without the glossy appearance; also on the primaries and secondaries 

 towards the end the edges are broad rust brown, and the upper 

 tail coverts, as well as the two middle tail feathers, have a slight 

 rust brownish tip to each feather, passing into bluish grey borders 

 in the middle of the feathers. 



"In the next plumage the young birds have the iris two colours, 

 in a sharply-defined ring; the inner part brown, and the outer 

 yellowish. Beak bluish grey; feet violet grey. In the old bird in 

 summer I have found the iris had its outer border in a slender 

 whitish ring, and the inner part red; beak violet grey, especially 

 towards the base; feet violet red." 



Dr. Schrenck then discusses the opinions of other writers upon the 

 specific difference of this bird. Temminck and Schlegel refer to the 

 larger size of gelastis, and the former to the shorter tail and longer 

 wing. Middendorfi" also notices the larger size of the body, while 

 Pallas is of opinion that the same difierence as exists between the two 

 in size, may equally be observed between the Russo-European and 

 the Dauritian examples of C. cejias and C. livia. 



The following is Dr. Schrenck's table of dimensions of the Amur 

 bird: — Male. — Length of closed wings seven inches three lines, tail 

 five inches, beak seven lines and a half, tarsi eleven lines and a half, 

 middle toe (without claw) one inch, claw of middle toe three lines 

 and a half. Female. — Length of closed wings six inches eleven lines, 

 tail four inches ten lines, beak seven lines and a half, tarsi eleven 

 lines and a half, middle toe (without claw) one inch, claw of middle 

 toe three lines. Young. — Length of closed wings seven inches, tail four 

 inches eleven lines, tarsi one inch, middle toe (Avithout claw) one inch 

 one line and a half, claw of middle toe three lines and a half. 



