522 



TURTLE DOVE. 



half ; weight rather more than four ounces ; the bill is black and strong, 

 about an inch in length, and turns a little upwards ; irides hazel ; fore- 

 head and chin white ; across the breast a broad band of black ; the fore 

 part of the neck black, joining to that on the breast, and encircling the 

 upper part of the neck ; a black streak from the eyes, and another from 

 the bill, meet in an angle at the collar on the side of the neck ; above 

 the eye a streak of white ; on the ears a spot of the same ; the back 

 part of the neck is white, mixed with brown, which passes down each 

 side of the breast ; the crown of the head, upper part of the back, and 

 scapulars, is a mixture of black and ferruginous ; the latter whitish on 

 their exterior edges ; lesser wing coverts nearly the same, but lighter ; 

 lower part of the back under the scapulars white; quills dusky, the 

 secondaries tipped with white ; the greater coverts edged with the 

 same ; the shafts of the primary quills white ; belly, vent, and under 

 tail coverts white ; upper tail coverts also white, crossed with a bar of 

 black ; tail black, tipped with white, except the middle feathers ; legs 

 orange. 



The bird from which the above description is taken was killed in 

 September, on the coast of South Wales ; another in my collection, 

 killed in Cornwall the beginning of August, has a faint collar round 

 the neck, which, with the band on the breast, is dusky brown ; the 

 chin is white, but the whole head is brown, with dusky streaks ; the 

 back and scapulars black, each feather deeply margined with light fer- 

 ruginous ; the exterior feather of the tail white on the outer web ; legs 

 light yellowish brown. This is undoubtedly a young bird. 



The Turnstone is subject to great variety in respect to the markings 

 about the head and neck ; but the black on the breast, and more or less 

 round the neck, at once distinguish it from any other species. In some 

 the base half of the tail is white, and the quills next the body the same, 

 as well as the base of the rest, except the four first. In others the 

 lower part of the back, rump, and upper tail coverts, are wholly white. 



This bird is sometimes met with on the coast in small flocks of five 

 or six ; probably the brood, which in most, if not in all, of this class, 

 consists of four young. It is not known to breed with us, but visits 

 some of our shores in August, and departs in the spring. It is said to 

 breed in Hudson's Bay, makes a slight nest on the dry ground, and lays 

 four olive-coloured eggs, spotted with black. Fleming concludes, from 

 seeing them at all seasons in Zetland, that it breeds there. The name 

 has been given it from its manner of turning up the stones in search 

 of marine insects. 



