484 ROCK-DOVE. 
local, and in the rest of Europe it is decidedly uncommon, except 
in mountainous regions, such as the Pyrenees and the various ranges 
of Spain and Italy ; while even there, a considerable admixture of 
semi-domesticated birds is apparent. Individuals from the Canaries 
and the coasts and rocky islands in the west of the Mediterranean 
have generally a distinct band of white on the croup, but, pro- 
ceeding eastward, this has a tendency to become less pure and 
narrower than in northern examples, until in specimens from the 
Jordan valley that part is grey. Birds identical with our own have, 
however, been obtained in Baluchistan, Afghanistan, Northern India 
and Kashmir, but about Gilgit and eastward the representative is 
C. rupestris. “There seems,” says Darwin, “to be some relation 
between the croup being blue or white, and the temperature of the 
country inhabited by both wild and dovecot pigeons ; for nearly all 
the dovecot pigeons in the northern parts of Europe have a white 
croup like that of the wild European rock-pigeon ; and nearly all 
the dovecot pigeons of India have a blue croup like that of the 
wild C. txtermedia of India.” 
In the British Islands the favourite resorts of the Rock-Dove are 
deep caverns, on the ledges of which a slight nest is constructed, 
sometimes as early as March; while young and even unhatched 
eggs have been found in September, so that at least two broods must 
be reared in the year. The 2 white eggs measure 1°5 by 1°15 in, 
Like other members of the family, this species is partial to grain, 
but it makes amends by eating the roots of the couch-grass 
(Triticum repens), and the seeds of various troublesome weeds, as 
well as considerable quantities of snails. It drinks frequently, and 
both wild and tame Pigeons have been seen to settle on the water 
like Gulls and drink whilst floating down stream. It has a marked 
objection to alighting on trees—a peculiarity which is still shared by 
its domesticated relatives. 
In size and general hue the Rock-Dove much resembles the 
Stock-Dove, but the green on the neck is prolonged to the throat ; 
the mantle is of a paler grey; two very distinct black bars cross 
the wing-coverts and the secondaries ; the croup is white, and the 
black bar near the tip of the tail-feathers is much narrower than in 
the Stock-Dove ; the upper breast is dark grey with hardly any tinge 
of vinous; and the ax7laries and under wing-coverts are white—a 
very conspicuous distinction in flight. As usual, females are slightly 
smaller and duller than males ; while in the young the metallic tints 
are wanting. 
