110 TURTUB GELA8TIS. 



On the whole, I think we may give C. gelastis to Mr. Darwin as a 

 transitional variety. I will not, however, apologise for making a 

 further extract from Dr. Schrenck's interesting notice. 



Dr. Schrenck goes on to remark that the Turtle Dove has spread 

 along the shores of the Pacific Ocean to Dauria, and in larger 

 numbers eastward to the Stanowvi Mountains and to the coasts of the 

 Ochotsk Sea, (according to MiddendorfF,) to the neighbouring country 

 of the Amoor, and (according to Temminck) to Japan, where it 

 assumes its largest form, and has the same variety of colours which 

 have been described in C. gelastis. " In the Amoor I found C. gelas- 

 tis very common, as well at the mouths of the rivers as also further 

 outwards, and on the Ussuri. It is also found, according to the 

 testimony of the natives, on the Island of Sachalin. On the Amoor it 

 remains in the hazel woods, as well as among evergreens and willow 

 bushes on the islands, and, as far as I have been able to observe, 

 in the neighbourhood of water. I have often seen them a short 

 distance from the river, on the level sand and pebbles, between light 

 willow branches, sitting in pairs, or in small companies of four to six. 

 At first I thought they repaired to such places only to drink or pick 

 up small stones and coarse grains of sand, but the specimens which I 

 shot shew me that they find their food there as well. I found' the 

 crop filled with Plirygane^ which is found abundantly, and of various 

 kinds on the Amoor. I am not aware that this has ever been observed 

 as the food of our Turtle Doves in Europe. 



"Quite early in the spring this Turtle Dove appears on the Amoor. 

 At the Nikolajev Posten I found them in the spring of 1855, the end 

 of April; and it also appeared at the mouth of the river about the 

 8th. (20th.) of May, when the bushes were covered with ice, and 

 there was still much snow in the forest. 



"The moulting begins among the old birds in the latter half of 

 August, much later among the young ones, probably not until the old 

 ones have completed their change. 



"This Dove plays an important part in the religious ceremonies of 

 the inhabitants of the Amoor, as does also the Cuckoo." 



Further details of this interesting part of his subject Dr. Schrenck 

 reserves for another part of the great work which is now throwing so 

 much light upon the history of this interesting country. 



