GALLINACEOUS BIRDS. I47 



antagonists as Starlings, AVoodpeckers, and Jackdaws, the domestic career of a pair of Stock Doves 



is by no means one of uninterrupted peace and harmony. This constant change of domicile is 



rendered necessary by the rapid accumulation of the castings from the young, with which the inmates 



become so soiled that some time elapses after they have left the nest before the feathers are 



thoroughly purified ; fortunately for the building birds, by the following season, insects of various 



kinds and the busy Woodpecker have cleared away the refuse from the holes, and made them fit for 



occupation. We are told that the affection of this species for its brood is so strong that it is almost 



impossible to force the parent birds away, and that a female Stock Dove will remain to be shot rather 



than desert her eggs. 



THE ROCK DOVE. 



The Rock Dove {Columba livid) — see Coloured Plate XXVII. — is of a pale greyish hue on the 

 mantle an'd bright blue on the under side ; the head is light slate-blue, the throat deep slate-colour, 

 glistening above with bright blueish green, and on its lower portion -with a purple gloss ; the rump is 

 white. Two black lines pass across the deep grey wings ; the tail-feathers are dark bright blue, tipped 

 with black; those at the exterior are white on the outer web. The eye is sulphur-yellow, the beak black, 

 with a light blue base, and the foot deep blueish red. The sexes are alike, and the young somewhat 

 deeper in their colours than the adult birds. This species is thirteen inches long and tiventy-three 

 broad ; the wing measures eight inches and one-sixth and the tail four inches and one-third. 



The Rock Dove in its natural state inhabits rocky sea-coasts, flying only sufficientl)' inland to 

 procure food. It is spread over a very wide range of country, being met with as far north as the 

 Faroe Islands, and as far southward as Africa. In Great Britain it is found both on the southern 

 coasts of England and in the east and west of Scotland. In the Orkneys it breeds in the crevices 

 of the rocks, the nests being at such a depth that they are quite out of reach. During the day the 

 Doves associate in flocks and search for food, which consists principally of grain and seeds. 



The Rock Dove breeds twice in the season, each brood consisting of two young, generally a 

 male and a female. The eggs are white and of a short oval shape, rather pointed at one end. From 

 this species our Dove-cote Pigeons are derived, and they, like their original progenitors, seldom roost 

 or settle on trees. 



The nest of the Rock Dove is a mere heap of straw, dry grass, and twigs, with a slight hollow 

 in its centre for the reception of the eggs, which have a gloss}', pure white shell. The female alone 

 builds, but is supplied with materials by her devoted mate, who remains constantly near her both day 

 and night. The blind and unusually helpless young are hatched about sixteen or eighteen days after 

 the eggs are laid, and leave the shell within from twenty-four to thirty-six hours of each other. As 

 with their congeners, the nestlings are at first nourished with pulp from the crops of their parents, then 

 with partially digested seeds, and when fledged, with hard seeds, with the addition of tiny pebbles and 

 bits of clay, to assist the still weak gizzard in the work of trituration. AVhen about a month old the 

 young are strong enough to quit the nest in company with their parents, who, however, soon leave 

 them to their own devices, and at once commence their preparations for a second brood. 



" The Blue Pigeon, or Rock Dove of India " says Jerdon, " difi'ers from that of Europe only in 

 having an ash-coloured instead of pure white rump. It is one of the most common and abundant 

 birds, congregating throughout the countrj' in large flocks, and breeding wherever they can find 

 suitable spots. They are most partial to large buildings, such as churches, pagodas, mosques, tombs, 

 and the like, frequently entering verandahs of inhabited houses and building in the cornices. Hollows 

 in walls of cities or towns are favourite places, and in some parts of the country they prefer holes in 

 wells. In default of such spots they will breed in crevices and cavities of rocks, caverns, and 

 sea-side cliffs, and are particularly partial to rocky waterfalls. The celebrated falls of Gaissoppa are 



