864 Drafts for a Fauna I/idica. [No. 168. 



especially, the poor bird tumbles about in a fit for some seconds, when 

 the owner recovers it by blowing hard in its face. They are chiefly black 

 and white, and bare-legged, with a crested occiput ; but present no 

 other marked distinction.) *• The Kehrnee, who has such amazing 

 affection for his hen, that when he has flown out of [human] sight, if 

 she is exposed in a cage, he instantly drops down upon it : they des- 

 cend either with both wings spread, or with one open, or else with 

 both shut. The Ruhteh, is a pigeon famous for carrying letters : but 

 any pigeon may be taught to do this. The Heshwaree ascends in the 

 air till he is out of sight, and remains so [i. e. absent ?] for a day 

 or two, after which he alights on the ground. There are also many 

 other kinds that are valuable only on account of their beauty, such as 

 the Sherazee* the Shushtree, the Shashenu, the Jougeeah, the Rezehdehn, 

 the Muggessee, the Komeree, and the Gowlah : the last [or interme- 

 dia in its natural state] is a wild pigeon, of which, if a few are taken, 

 they are speedily joined by a thousand others of their kind. There are 

 people who obtain a livelihood by sending these pigeons to feed abroad, 

 and making them vomit up the grain, by giving them water strongly 

 impregnated with salt. A pigeon is said to live to the age of thirty 

 years." * * * Among the kinds commonly bred about Calcutta, are fine 

 Powters (Gulla-p 'hoola-fj ,both feather-legged and bare-legged ; Fantails 

 (Luckah) of indisputable merit, but poor helpless monstrosities, except in 

 the eyes of connoisseurs, some of which have at least thirty- six tail- 

 feathers]: ; and races with an occipital top-knot (Nuns), are common : but 

 I have seen nothing like the variety commonly bred by English fanciers, 

 and the faces generally are less pure (at least in Lower Bengal), with 

 their peculiarities not so strongly brought out ; unless in the instance of 

 the fantails, and sometimes powters, which are as preposterous carica- 

 tures of the wild race, as the most extravagant admirer of Nature's freaks 

 of the kind could reasonably desire, and as undeniably curious in shew- 

 ing what domestication can produce. 



C. leuconota, Vigors, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1831, p. 22; Gould's * Cen- 

 tury,' pi. LIX. (Hooded Rock Pigeon.) Size and form of last, the wings a 



* Sarajoo, Beng. A large black pigeon, with white rump, quills, and under-parts 

 from the throat; generally, very true to this colouring. 



f ' Swollen throat,' or, literally, full gullet (gula.) 



X While drawing up this notice, I visited the bird bazar, and counted thirty-four 

 feathers in a tail which was obviously imperfect. 



