Descriptive List of the Common Birds 
bars across the wing. The tip of the tail is 
black; legs red. 
Found all over India. In the Punjab this 
species meets an allied form—Columba livia— 
which is distinguished by the fact that its 
lower back is white instead of slaty grey. 
The Doves, 166-169 
Every one is well acquainted with these 
familiar birds, so that a general description of 
them is unnecessary. The four species most 
commonly seen in India are : 
166. Turtur suratensis: The Spotted Dove. 
(F. 1307), (J. 795), (IIL) 
A reddish-grey bird. ‘The sides of the neck 
are black with a number of small white spots. 
The two median pairs of tail feathers are 
brown, and the others black with white tips. 
Its note is a plaintive c#koo-coo-coo. Like the 
other three species of dove this species is 
widely distributed, but is very capricious in 
its distribution. 
It is very common in Calcutta, Madras, 
Travancore, Tirhoot, and Lucknow, but does 
not occur at Lahore, Bombay, or in the 
Deccan. 
189 
