54 



PIGEON. 



D. — Columba orientalis, Ind. Orn. ii. G06. 



La Tourterelle brune de la Chine, Son. Voy. Ind. ii. 177. 



Chinese Turtle, Gen.Syn.'w. 647. Var. D. 



Size of the others. Bill and irides red ; head, neck, breast, and 

 back, dirty brownish grey, palest on the back ; on each side of the 

 neck some black feathers, with pale cinereous grey ends; wings 

 brown, crossed with a band of yellow; quills brown ; rump and tail 

 cinereous grey ; belly and thighs vinous grey ; under tail coverts 

 cinereous grey ; legs red. 



Inhabits China. We are at a loss to fix where the Varieties of 

 the Turtle end, and the specific differences begin, as they seem to 

 differ most exceedingly ; and nothing short of a naturalist residing 

 on the spot for some years, and being very inquisitive concerning 

 their manners, can ever decide the question. We will, therefore, 

 only mention two or three more, and finish the subject. 



E. — This has the whole of the neck behind from the nape black, 

 dotted with white; the rest of the head blue grey; wing coverts 

 marked with a black streak at the tips, within this a pale spot ; tail 

 as in the Common, but more of the end white. This is called in 

 India Chitka : some birds much darker than others. 



F. — Bill pale; round the eye bare and blue; head, neck, begin- 

 ning of the back, and all beneath reddish white; on the sides of the 

 neck a blue grey patch, the feathers margined with grey white ; 

 rump and vent cinereous white ; back and wing coverts pale brown ; 

 base of the quills ash-colour, forming a spot; the rest of the length 

 black ; tail short, black ; legs pale red. 



Inhabits India : at first sight has the the appearance of the 

 Common Turtle ; called at Calcutta, Googoo. 



