COLUMBIFOEMES. 405 



eind tail whito, the back bluish-grey, the two first primaries 

 black with a large white space near the extremitj', the tip 

 quite black. The bill is dusky-green at the base, yellow at the 

 tip, and the feet greenish -grey. The young have the bill 

 almost black with a yellow base, and dusky-yellow feet. It 

 breeds chiefly on rocky coast-lines, but may resort to marshes 

 to rest. This species commingles with the herring gulls, rooks, 

 and peewits in the ploughed fields, and does much good by 

 devouring numerous larvse. 



These three gulls should be well protected, as they are 

 decidedly friends of the farmer. 



11. Columbiformes. 



Doves and Pigeons (Columb*;). 



The Columbfe are endowed with strong wings and great 

 powers of flight. The feet are slender and adapted for perch- 

 ing. They are all monogamous, and pair for life or some time. 

 The beak is weak, with a cere at the base and thin scales over 

 the nostrils. The young are quite helpless for days after they 

 are hatched — nestlings. They are fed by the parent first with 

 a cheesy substance excreted by the glands of the crop, then by 

 soft food from the crop itself. The nests are formed in trees 

 and on rocky places, sometimes in holes in decaying trunks : 

 they are flat structures composed of loosely united twigs upon 

 which the longish, shiny white eggs (two in number) are laid. 

 There are four species found in England — the Wood-pigeon 

 (Columha palumbus), the Stook-dove (6'. omas), the Eock-dove 

 (G. Jivia), and the Turtle-dove {Turtur cummunis). 



All pigeons have long and powerful wings, and can fly im- 

 mense distances. The sense of sight is extraordinarily keen. 

 Most species feed on the ground, but do not scratch about like 

 fowls (GaUince), nor do they usually dust themselves in so-called 

 "dust-baths" — they prefer water in which to clean themselves. 



