(5i) GEOPELIA STRIATA (Linn.). 



THE BARRED GROUND-DOVE. 

 (Plate 26.) 



Turtur sinensis striatus Briss., Orn., I p. 107 (1760). 



Turtur indicus striatus Briss., Orn., I p. 109 (1760). 



Columba striata Linn., Syst. Nat., I p. 282 (1766) ; Lath., I. Orn., II p. 608. 



Gblumba sinica Lion., Syst. Nat., I p. 284. 



Columba malaccensis Gm., Syst. Nat., II p. 788 (1788) ; Lath., I. Orn., II 

 p. 612. 



Columba bantamensis Sparm., Mus. Carl. (1788). 



Columba lunulata Bonn. Enc. Meth., p. 251 (1790). 



Geopelia striata Gray, List Gen. B., p. 58 (184=0) ; Blyth, Cat. B.M.A.S.B., 

 p. 235 ; Jerdon, B.I., III p. 486 ; Hume, Str. Feath., Ill p. 323 ; Hume 

 and Dav., ib., VI p. 423 ; Hume, ib., VIII p. 110 ; id.. Cat. no. 797, 

 ter ; Gates, B. Brit. Burma, II p. 298 ; Salvadori, Cat. B.M., XXI p. 458 ; 

 Blanf., Avi. Brit. I., IV p. 52 ; Sharpe, Hand-List, I p. 80 ; Gates, Cat. 

 Eggs B.M., I p. 101 ; Harington, B. Burma, p. 118. Finn, J.B.N.H.S., 

 XIV p. 576 ; H. R. Baker, ib., XVII p. 760. 



Vernacular Names. Merbok, Ketitir, Malayan. 



Description. — Adult male. Fore-head and crown as far back as the 

 centre of the eye ashy -grey ; cheeks, chin, and throat the same but paler ; 

 crown from the centre of the eye and nape light rusty-brown; hind-neck, 

 sides of neck, and throat and sides of breast barred blackish-brown and white, 

 the pale bars on the upper-neck generally more or less tinged with fulvous ; 

 whole upper-plumage from neck to tail earthy-brown, eaoh feather edged 

 with a black bar ; tail a darker brown on the central feathers which are 

 obsoletely barred darker, the adjoining pair of feathers blackish-brown and 

 the remaining four pairs black on the basal half and white on the terminal 

 half, the white also extending some way down the edge of the outer web. 

 Breast a beautiful vinous-pink, gradually changing to pale fulvous-white on 

 the abdomen and to pure white on the under tail-coverts ; flanks barred 

 brown or black, and vinous- or fulvous-white. Wing-coverts like the back, 

 but with a silvery tinge ; quills a darker brown, except the innermost tertiaries 

 which are like the back, and with the basal half of the inner webs chestnut ; 

 under wing-coverts barred chestnut and black. 



Measurements. Total length 8.25 to 9 in. ( = 209.4 to 228.6 mm.) ; 

 wing 3.75 in. ( = 95.2 mm.) to 4 in. ( = 101.6 mm.), with an average of 

 3.90 in. ( = 99.0 mm.) ; tail 4 in. ( = 101.6 mm.) to 4.6 in. ( = 116.8 mm) ; 

 bill at front about .48 in. ( = 12.2 mm.), and from gape about .7 in. 

 ( = 17.7 mm.) ; tarsus about .7 in. ( = 17.7 mm.). 



