1857.] Description of a new Indian Pigeon. 223 



pale blue-grey," — whitish-grey (?), as in the Indian ' Stock-dove,' — 



* never pure white." 



Another, again, is termed by him G. eupestris, from the moun- 

 tainous and rocky parts of Songaria and Dauria (or Dahuria), — > 

 adopted from Pallas, but the particular distinguishing characters 

 not specified. 



C. Schimpeei, also, " which covers with its innumerable flocks 

 the more desert plains of Abyssinia. It is stouter and more albes- 

 cent than the common C. livia." 



Likewise C. gymnoctcltjs, Gray, from Senegal. " Obseurior : 

 orbitis nudis : rostro valde rohustiore." 



Lastly, C. intermedia, Strickland, of India.* The common ' Blue 

 Pigeon' of this country, which only differs from C. livia by having 

 the croup uniformly coloured with the back, as in the European 



* Stock-dove,' and by a somewhat deeper and more uniform shade 

 of ash-colour. Yet the purely wild birds continue true to this 

 colouring, and no variation will be seen in the largest flocks of them, 

 where unmixed with domestic Pigeons ; but they most readily 

 mingle with the latter, and scarcely require encouragement to fall 

 into domestic habits. In the vicinity of Calcutta, the pure wild 

 race can hardly be obtained, though domestic Pigeons in every ordi- 

 nary flock (not of "fancy birds") which are undistinguishable from 

 the wild, in company with others varying more or less in colouring 

 from the type : but even at Benares, we remarked a great assemblage 

 of these birds, nestling in the innumerable nooks about the famous 

 mosque of Aurungzebe, and sought in vain for any variation of 

 colouring among them, and especially for the white croup of true 

 C. livia. Col. Sykes refers this bird to C. jenas, and remarks that 

 it is "the most common bird in the Dukhun, congregating in flocks 

 of scores, and a constant inhabitant of every old dilapidated build- 

 ing." He saw " the same species on board ship on the voyage to 

 England, brought from China:" and the Kev. J. Mason notes the 

 occurrence of what he considers to be the same bird, wild in Burma. 

 In Ceylon, according to Mr. Edgar L. Layard, "this species is 

 extremely local, being confined to two places, ' Pigeon Island' off 



* Comptes Rendiis, torn. XLIII, 838. 



