OF THE BEITISH ISLANDS. 3 



Family COLUMBIDiE. Genus Colttmba. 



RING DOVE. 



COLUMBA PALUMBUS.—Lotm^ms. 

 Plate I. 



Columba palumbus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 282 (1766) ; Macgill. Brit. B. i. p. 259 

 (1837) ; Dresser, B. Eur. vii. p. 3, pi. 456 (1878) ; Yarrell, Brit. B., ed. 4, iii. p. 1 

 (1883) ; Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B. ii, p 396 (1884) ; Salvadori, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. 

 xxi. p. 299 (1893) ; Dixon, Nests and Eggs Brit. B. p. 344 (1893) ; Lilford, Col. 

 Pig. Brit. B. pt. xxxii. (1896) ; Seebohm, Col. Pig. Eggs Brit. B. p. 157, pi. 47 

 (1896) ; Sharpe, Handb. B. Gt. Brit. iv. p. 242 (1897). 



Geographical distribution. — British : The King Dove is a resident 

 throughout the wooded districts of the British Islands ; most abundant in well- 

 cultivated localities. To the Outer Hebrides and to St. Kilda it is only known as 

 an occasional visitor. Its range is steadily increasing with the planting of trees. 

 Foreign: Western Palasarctic region. It ranges from Scandinavia east to the 

 Ural Mountains and the Caucasus. It is a resident except in the extreme north, 

 where it breeds as high as lat. 65J° in the west and lat. 60° in the extreme east. 

 It breeds locally throughout the basin of the Mediterranean, but is here best 

 known as a migrant during winter. To the Azores and Faroes it is an abnormal 

 migrant only. 



Allied forms. — Columba casiotis, an inhabitant of Persia, Turkestan, 

 and Afghanistan as far east as Gilgit, on the frontiers of Cashmere. Differs from 

 the Ring Dove in having the light patches on the neck buff instead of white. 



Habits. — The Ring Dove is certainly the best known of its tribe in our 

 islands, and a bird that is almost everywhere on the increase. It is a resident, 

 and frequents the woodland districts, parks and shrubberies, as well as the open 

 fields. It is more or less gregarious throughout the year, and though one of the 

 shyest of birds, soon becomes trustful and tame in districts where it is not 

 molested, as witness the extraordinary confidence of the Ring Doves that of late 

 years especially have taken to frequenting some of the London parks. The flight of 

 the Ring Dove is rapid and powerful, and the white patches on the wings and on the 

 neck are very conspicuous as the bird hurries along. The Ring Dove is a silent 

 bird during winter, but early in spring it regains its note, which is continued more 

 or less freely into the following September, and less frequently into October. This 



