142 CASSELL'S BOOK OF BIRDS. 



but its base is formed by a convex cartilaginous plate, in the anterior portion of which the nostrils are 

 situated. The skin covering the cartilaginous portion is of a soft texture, very different from the rest 

 of the bill. It is sometimes smooth, and clothed with a sort of scurf, but in other cases it is warty, or 

 even developed into a fleshy wattle. This is especially the case in some domesticated varieties of the 

 Pigeon. The Columbce are provided with short tarsi and moderately long toes, all scutellated. The 

 toes are four in number, three in front and one behind. The anterior toes are not united by a 

 membrane at the base. The hinder toe is placed on the same plane with those in front, and the 

 whole sole of the foot is formed of soft papillated pads, which are usually a good deal wider than the 

 scutellated upper portion of the toes. The wings, which are generally long and pointed, contain ten 

 primary quills, and the tail usually consists of twelve feathers, although in some cases there are 

 sixteen. Another important character distinguishing these birds, as compared with the Gallina, is 

 that their feathers are destitute of the plumules, or accessory plumes, which are greatly developed in 

 Gallinaceous Birds. The form of the wing in Pigeons is sufficient to indicate that they are capable 

 of powerful flight, and many of them are remarkable for the speed with which they traverse the air, 

 especially when engaged in their migrations. Most of them are arboreal, and nestle in the holes of 

 trees ; others frequent rocks, but all perch with great facility ; nevertheless, they generally seek their 

 food upon the ground, and walk or run without difficulty. They are also remarkable for their mode 

 of drinking, in which they differ from all other birds. The general practice of birds in drinking is to 

 take up a small portion of water in the bill, and then, by raising the head, to allow it to run down 

 into the throat. The Pigeons, on the contrary, dip their bills into the water, and hold them there till 

 they have quenched their thirst. These birds are inhabitants of the warmer and temperate regions of 

 the earth, but they are found in most abundance in hot climates, where, also, their plumage attains a 

 brilliancy of which that of our native species gives us but an imperfect idea. 



The FRUIT PIGEONS {Trerones) are recognisable by their compact body, short, thick beak, 

 powerful, broad-soled, but short feet, moderate-sized wings, and short tail ; the latter is composed of 

 fourteen feathers, and is either slightly cuneiform or straight at its extremity. The plumage, in which 

 green predominates, is always brilliant. 



The members of this group inhabit the whole of India, the Malayan Peninsula, Australia, and 

 Africa, and are usually seen in parties of variable number, perched upon fruit-trees. Their move- 

 ments much resemble those of the Parrots, and their voice, unlike that of most of their congeners, is 

 loud and sweet. Such species of Fruit Pigeons as inhabit India (and probably Africa) place their 

 very loosely-constructed nest at the summit of a lofty tree, and lay two white eggs. 



THE PARROT PIGEON. 

 The Parrot Pigeon {Phalacroterou Abyssinica), a beautiful species of the above group, is 

 powerfully built, \\ath long wings and a short tail ; its beak, which is short and strong, has the base 

 bare and the upper mandible hooked at its tip ; the short tarsus is almost entirely covered with 

 feathers, and the broad-soled foot furnished with small toes ; the wing, in which the second quill is 

 the longest, is pointed, and the tail straight at its extremity. The plumage of this beautiful bird is 

 pale olive-green on the mantle and light yellow on the under side ; the head, throat, and breast are 

 grejish green, the shoulders of a rich deep red, the wing-covers of a blackish hue, broadly edged with 

 pale yellow; the quills black, edged wth a lighter shade; the dark grey tail is black upon the under 

 portion, from the root to the centre, and from that point to the tip of a silver-grey ; the purple-red 

 iris is surrounded by a narrow blue ring ; a bare patch which encircles the eye is blueish red, the cere 

 of a dirty coral-red ; the white beak is shaded with blue, and tipped with pale red ; the foot is deep 



