78 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



MELOPELIA ASIATICA ASIATICA (Linnseus). 



WHITE-WINGED DOVE. 



Adult male.— Forehead fawn color, usually somewhat paler ante- 

 Lorly, passing into a much darker hue (sometimes approaching dark 

 iurple-drab) on crown and occiput, which in fresh plumage shows 

 , purplish or vinaceous "bloom"; hindneck similar in color to occiput 

 mt somewhat lighter; back, scapulars, proximal secondaries, and 

 ring-coverts plain deep buffy brown, light sepia, or saccardos 

 Ltnber, the middle pair of rectrices (sometimes longer upper tail- 

 overts also) similar, sometimes more decidedly brown; distal 

 ring-coVerts mostly white, forming a conspicuous elongated patch 

 rom bend of wing to extremity of greater coverts, the latter with 

 iasal portion gray, as are also the coverts along inner margin of the 

 rtiite area; alulae, primary coverts, primaries, and distal secondaries 

 lull black, the outer webs of secondaries broadly edged with white 

 [istally, the primaries very narrowly edged with white (except 

 lasally) and margined terminally with light or pale brownish gray; 

 ump light slate-gray or dark gull gray, usually more or less tinged 

 sdth buffy brown (sometimes more brown than gray) , the upper tail- 

 over ts either wholly brown or mixed brown and gray; rectrices 

 except middle pair) slate-gray very broadly tipped (for about one- 

 ourth their length on innermost to about one-third on outermost) 

 nth very pale gray to grayish white, and crossed by a band of slate- 

 >lack or blackish slate between the paler and darker areas; a sub- 

 >rbital spot of blue-black or black glossed with steel blue; sides of 

 leek glossed with metallic reddish bronze to greenish bronze; sides 

 >f head and neck, throat, f oreneck, chest, and upper breast (sometimes 

 vhole breast) wood brown (more or less deep) , paler (sometimes dull 

 vhitish) on chin and upper throat, passing (sometimes rather ab- 

 ■uptly) into pale gray (gull gray to pale neutral gray) on posterior 

 inder parts, including under tail-coverts, the anal region white, or 

 learly so; sides and flanks (beneath wings), axillars, and under wing- 

 joverts deeper gray (gull-gray or pale neutral gray) ; under surface of 

 ;ail slate-black broadly tipped with white or grayish white; bill black; 

 ris orange to orange-red or coral red; bare orbital space pale grayish 

 slue to campanula blue; legs and feet lake red; length (skins), 252- 

 513 (275); wing, 144.5-166 (156.3); tail, 97-115 (103.4); exposed 

 julmen, 18-22.5 (19.7); tarsus, 23.5-26 (24.7); middle toe, 23-26.5 

 ;24.7).° 



Adult female. — Similar to the adult male and sometimes not dis- 

 tinguishable but usually slightly duller in color, the purplish hue of 

 icciput and hindneck less pronounced, or wanting, rump less bluish 



a Forty specimens. 



