﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  381 
  

  

  Family 
  COLUMBIDA.E 
  

  

  These 
  are 
  the 
  true 
  pigeons, 
  the 
  Passenger 
  pigeon 
  of 
  America 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  subfamily 
  Ectopis- 
  

   tinae. 
  The 
  Ground 
  doves 
  and 
  their 
  allies 
  according 
  to 
  Sharpe 
  and 
  other 
  British 
  authorities, 
  should 
  

   be 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  separate 
  family, 
  the 
  Peristeridae, 
  distinguished 
  largely 
  by 
  the 
  bare 
  tarsus, 
  longer 
  than 
  

   the 
  lateral 
  toes. 
  In 
  New 
  York 
  the 
  latter 
  are 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  Mourning 
  dove 
  and 
  the 
  

   little 
  Ground 
  dove. 
  

  

  Ectopistes 
  migratorius 
  (Linnaeus) 
  

   Passenger 
  Pigeon 
  

  

  Plate 
  42 
  

  

  Columba 
  migratoria 
  Linnaeus. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  Ed. 
  12. 
  1766. 
  i 
  : 
  285 
  

   Ectopistes 
  migratorius 
  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  196, 
  fig. 
  167 
  

  

  A. 
  O.'U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  315 
  

  

  ectopistes, 
  Gr. 
  iKToma-T-ijs 
  , 
  wanderer; 
  migratd'rius, 
  Lat., 
  migratory 
  

  

  Description. 
  Tail 
  long, 
  wedge-shaped, 
  of 
  twelve 
  tapering 
  feathers 
  ; 
  

   wings 
  sharp 
  pointed, 
  the 
  first 
  primary 
  longest; 
  head 
  small; 
  bill 
  short; 
  tarsi 
  

   feathered 
  part 
  way 
  in 
  front, 
  shorter 
  than 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw, 
  outer 
  toe 
  

   longer 
  than 
  inner. 
  Male: 
  Upper 
  parts 
  slaty 
  blue, 
  including 
  the 
  whole 
  

   head, 
  slightly 
  shaded 
  with 
  olive-brown 
  on 
  wings 
  and 
  center 
  of 
  back; 
  sca- 
  

   pulars 
  and 
  wings 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  black 
  spots; 
  back 
  and 
  sides 
  of 
  neck 
  iridescent 
  

   with 
  gold 
  and 
  purplish 
  red; 
  wing 
  feathers 
  and 
  central 
  pair 
  of 
  tail 
  feathers 
  

   blackish, 
  the 
  former 
  with 
  rusty 
  white 
  edgings; 
  sides 
  and 
  flanks 
  bluish; 
  

   foreneck 
  and 
  under 
  parts 
  "deep 
  vinaceous 
  rufous" 
  or 
  light 
  purplish 
  chestnut, 
  

   becoming 
  whitish 
  on 
  the 
  crissum 
  and 
  under 
  tail 
  coverts; 
  tail 
  feathers, 
  

   except 
  the 
  central 
  pair, 
  bluish 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  fading 
  to 
  whitish 
  at 
  the 
  tips, 
  

   with 
  black 
  and 
  chestnut 
  spots 
  near 
  their 
  bases; 
  bill 
  black; 
  feet 
  lake-red; 
  

   bare 
  skin 
  about 
  the 
  eyes 
  orange-red. 
  Female: 
  Under 
  parts 
  much 
  duller, 
  

   more 
  olive-brownish 
  above 
  and 
  grayish 
  below, 
  fading 
  to 
  whitish 
  behind. 
  

   Young: 
  Duller 
  still, 
  the 
  feathers 
  of 
  upper 
  parts 
  with 
  whitish 
  edgings 
  

   and 
  the 
  wing 
  feathers 
  with 
  rufous 
  edgings. 
  

  

  Length 
  15-17.25 
  .inches; 
  extent 
  23-25.5; 
  wing 
  8-8.5; 
  tail 
  8-8.75; 
  

   tarsus 
  i; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  i. 
  25-1. 
  35; 
  bill 
  .J-.JS', 
  weight 
  12 
  ounces. 
  

  

  The 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  pigeon 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  State, 
  as 
  told 
  by 
  early 
  

   writers, 
  or 
  as 
  handed 
  down 
  by 
  pioneer 
  settlers 
  and 
  remembered 
  by 
  persons 
  

   now 
  living, 
  would 
  fill 
  a 
  volume. 
  The 
  first 
  explorers 
  in 
  New 
  Netherlands 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  lake 
  country 
  all 
  speak 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  pigeon 
  as 
  among 
  the 
  most 
  

   interesting 
  and 
  important 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  beasts 
  and 
  fowls. 
  Wassenaers, 
  

   about 
  1625, 
  states 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  so 
  numerous 
  at 
  New 
  Amsterdam, 
  "that 
  

   they 
  shut 
  out 
  the 
  sunshine," 
  [Documentary 
  History 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  4: 
  29]. 
  

  

  