94 MANUAL 



FAMILY XXXIII COLUMBIDAE THE PIGEONS 



Latin cohimba, a dove or pigeon. 

 This is another family whose characteristics would be the 

 same as those of the sub-order ; but as there is but one sub- 

 order, to obviate the necessity of falling back upon the order 

 we will represent the family characters as of, primarily, a gen- 

 eral domestic pigeon- or dove-like appearance ; the bill is not 

 easy to describe, but the inspection of the bill of a domestic 

 pigeon will give at once the main noticeable characteristic of 

 the family ; the head is small, the body plump and compara- 

 tively large (or full) ; the tarsus differs essentially in the dif- 

 ferent sub-families, as will be shown below ; wings long and 

 pointed, broad and somewhat concaved at the shoulder (almost 

 powerful and capable of long-continued flight) ; tail varying 

 — rounded or almost square — and often with graduated feath- 

 ers (showing most plainly from beneath) ; the plumage re- 

 markably soft and somewhat greasy to the touch. In fact, 

 they are simply pigeons — wild pigeons, and doves — w r ild 

 doves ; and conform in appearance much more satisfactorily 

 than in exact definition. There are three sub-families : 



Sub-family a COLUMBINE True Pigeons 

 Tarsus feathered and scutellate ; feet small ; tarsus short ; 

 wings rather long, flat, and pointed. 



Genera, Columba, (3 -species). 



Ectopistes, The Passenger (Common Wild) Pigeon. 



Sub-family b ZENAIDIN.3J True or Ground Doves 



Tarsus not feathered but scutellate ; feet medium in size ; 

 tarsus also medium ; wings rather short, concaved, and barely 

 pointed. 



Gexera, Engyptila, The White-fronted Dove. 



Zenaidura, The Carolina Mourning Dove and ally. 

 Zenaida, The Zenaida Dove. 

 Melopelia, The White-winged Dove. 

 Chamcepelia, The Ground Dove (2 species). 

 Scardafella, The Scaled Dove. 

 Geotrygon, The Key West Dove. 



